In a move that could have far-reaching implications for Google and other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the Centre is reportedly considering new rules that will allow users to remove pre-installed apps from their smartphones.
According to Reuters, the government intends to require screening of major updates to smartphone operating systems under the proposed rules. Smartphone makers will also have to provide a ‘uninstall option’ to users, and the new devices will be checked for compliance by a lab authorised by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
The report quoted sources as saying that the move is largely the result of concerns over ‘spying and abuse of user data’.
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,” a senior administration official told Reuters.
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On February 8, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology met with representatives from all major OEMs, including Xiaomi, Samsung, Apple, and Vivo, to discuss the issue.
During the meeting, the ministry informed smartphone manufacturers that most smartphones come with pre-installed apps that pose a’serious privacy/information security issue(s)’.
The Centre has also reportedly stated that these OEMs will have a year to comply with the proposed standards, though the deadline has yet to be determined.
The proposed rules have a direct impact on Chinese OEMs such as Xiaomi, India’s largest smartphone seller, Vivo, and Oppo. The new rules will also have an impact on Google, which is already battling the Competition Commission of India over pre-installed apps on its Android smartphones.
The new developments may cause a delay in the release of new software updates, as well as a reduction in OEM revenue. While smartphone makers have monetisation agreements with multiple apps, companies such as Google also share revenue with OEMs that deploy the former’s Android OS.
