India is reportedly planning to force smartphone manufacturers to allow users to remove pre-installed apps and require prior checks by regulators before releasing system updates of major mobile operating systems, which could affect manufacturers operating with low margins and extend system update release timelines.
Reuters quoted two unnamed sources saying that India's IT ministry is planning new rules to prevent user data spying and abuse. Under the new regulations, manufacturers must provide an uninstall option for pre-installed apps, and the Bureau of Indian Standards would be authorized to check new models before product launch. Besides, system updates of major operating systems may be inspected before releasing to consumers.
A document seen by Reuters stated that most smartphones used in India have pre-installed apps and bloatware, posing serious privacy and information security issues. India, having held a closed-door meeting attended by representatives from Xiaomi, Samsung, Apple, and Vivo, may give manufacturers a year to comply once the regulations take effect.
Manufacturers pre-install propriety or third-party apps to collect data and monetize, especially those manufacturers with low margins.
According to a report published by the Data Center of the China Internet, an average of 8.2 apps were pre-installed in Android smartphones in China. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced a policy, which took effect on January 1, 2023, that requires smartphone manufacturers to provide users with uninstall options for pre-installed apps. At most, one app can be set to be non-removable. European Union regulations also require allowing the removal of pre-installed apps.
A study by researchers Haoyu Liu and Paul Patras of the University of Edinburgh and Douglas Leith of Trinity College in Dublin found that China-based Android smartphone manufacturers pre-installed spyware apps in their products that collect a wide range of personal data without user consent.
According to TechRadar, companies affected by the planned regulations would be China-based brands like Xiaomi and Oppo, which typically ship products at lower prices than Samsung and Apple and prefer bundling apps to get subsidized by third-party app developers.
