All new smartphones come with pre-installed apps from the manufacturer, which can take up a significant amount of storage space on your device. Unfortunately, deleting these apps is often impossible. However, there is good news for smartphone users: the government is planning to introduce new rules that will require manufacturers to allow users to delete pre-installed apps.
Under proposed new security rules, the Information and Technology (IT) ministry is considering mandating the screening of major operating system updates and forcing manufacturers to enable the removal of pre-installed apps. "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," explained a senior government official to Reuters.
The move is in response to concerns about spying and the misuse of user data. This change will have a direct impact on major smartphone companies such as Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, and Vivo, as India is the world's second-largest market.
Once the new rules are implemented, manufacturers will have to provide an uninstall option, and compliance will be checked by a laboratory authorized by the Bureau of Indian Standards agency for new models.
According to a confidential government record of an IT ministry meeting on February 8th, a majority of smartphones used in India come with pre-installed apps or bloatware, which pose serious issues related to privacy and information security. This statement was seen by Reuters, indicating the potential severity of the issue.