GOI crackdown on Data Misuse: Smartphone makers might be forced to allow deletion of pre-installed apps – Smartprix

Nowadays, whenever you buy a new smartphone, you will find some apps already installed on the device. These pre-installed apps are called bloatware and are a very sour point for many smartphone users who don’t need these apps. Seems like the Government of India might soon solve this issue as it is planning to force smartphone companies to provide an option to let users delete pre-installed apps on their devices.

This crackdown on the pre-installed apps is part of a plan by GOI that also includes a screening of major mobile operating systems. A report by Reuters claims that these new rules are being brought to stop the misuse of data. The government is also working on a made-in-India BharOS that will give the option to delete the pre-installed apps.

The new rules will include smartphone models to be checked for compliance by a lab authorized by the Bureau of the Indian agency. It will check if users are allowed to delete all pre-installed apps or not. The government is planning to give 1 year to the smartphone brands to include this new condition after it gets effective. An inside official claims that these pre-installed apps pose a threat to national security. He said, “Pre-installed apps can be a weak security point and we want to ensure no foreign nations, including China, are exploiting it. It’s a matter of national security.”

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The government has reportedly discussed this crackdown plan with smartphone brands including Xiaomi, Samsung, Apple, and Vivo. Currently, all smartphones (Android or iPhones) come with proprietary and 3rd party apps. While iPhones do allow users to delete a maximum number of pre-installed apps, Android limits the deletion of Google-made apps like Gmail, Chrome, and more. Sometimes brands don’t allow the deletion of their own apps like Samsung Pay, Hot apps, and more.

The Downside of new IT Rule

If the new IT rule does come into effect, it might be good for smartphone users but it will surely be a big blow to the revenue of smartphone makers. This is because many Android brands have partnerships like Meta and Snap for their pre-installed apps. European mechanism already has a provision to allow the removal of pre-installed apps, but it doesn’t have a screening mechanism to check if this is being followed.

Indian Government getting strict with security

For a while now, GOI has been making efforts to check national security and user safety by preventing spying through apps on phones. It has already banned over 300 Chinese apps, like TikTok, WeChat, and more to make user data stay safe. The government is already working on BharOS which won’t have any pre-installed apps and it might also help Indian manufacturers reduce their dependence on foreign Operating Systems.

In the past, whenever the question of security popped up, smartphone makers argued that their proprietary apps safeguard users’ privacy. Google even encourages its users to download apps via Google Play Store for safety reasons, while Apple doesn’t let users download apps from any 3^rd party platforms to ensure users’ privacy.

As of now, it is not clear when this rule will come into effect, but looking at the losses it will bring for smartphone makers, we think it will be a while before this one would be implemented.

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