Govt to force smartphone makers to allow removal of pre-installed apps

New Delhi, March 14: Many Apple iPhone and Samsung smartphone users are often troubled because of pre-installed applications and bloatware jacking up the memory of their phones, but now they have the option of uninstalling applications like Safari browser and Samsung Pay Mini.

 

Centre plans to force smartphone makers to allow removal of pre-installed apps and mandate screening of major operating system updates under proposed new security rules, according to two people and a government document seen by Reuters.

The new rules, details of which have not been previously reported, could extend launch timelines in the world's No.2 smartphone market and lead to losses in business from pre-installed apps for players including Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Apple.

The IT ministry is considering these new rules amid concerns about spying and abuse of user data, said a senior government official, one of the two people, declining to be named as the information is not yet public.

 

 

A senior officer said, as per Reuters, that pre-installed applications can be a major security hazard, and the Centre wants to ensure no foreign nations, including China, are exploiting it.

Currently, most smartphones come with pre-installed apps that cannot be deleted, such as Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi's app store GetApps, Samsung's payment app Samsung Pay mini and iPhone maker Apple's browser Safari.

Under the new rules, smartphone makers will have to provide an uninstall option and new models will be checked for compliance by a lab authorized by the Bureau of Indian Standards agency, two people with knowledge of the plan said.

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