India planning rules for smartphone to allow removing pre-installed apps

New Delhi: India is all set to closely monitor smart phones amid concerns of spying and abuse of user data, as per a report.

The new rules that India is working on will force smartphone makers to allow removal of pre-installed apps and screening of updates for operating systems, Reuters reported from government sources.

The rules could delay launch timelines, and incur losses from pre-installed apps to companies including Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Apple.

“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,” an official reportedly said.

Earlier India banned over 300 Chinese apps including popular TikTok following clashes at border between China and India.

China faced similar issues globally with many nations imposing restrictions on the use of products by Chinese companies including Huawei and Hikvision fearing China could spy foreign citizens.

Most smartphones have pre-installed apps that cannot be deleted; they include Xiaomi’s Get Apps, Samsung’s Samsung Pay, and Iphone’s browser Safari.

The new law will force companies to provide uninstall option and a lab authorized by the Bureau of Indian Standards will check new models to ensure compliance, according to the report.

The government is likely to make it mandatory to screen operating system updates before companies roll them out to customers.

A confidential government record reportedly said pre-installed Apps/Bloatware in majority of smartphones used in India pose serious security issues.

European Union regulations do not have a screening mechanism to check for compliance like India is planning, but EU wants smartphones to allow removal of pre-installed apps.