Centre urges Google, Apple to pre-install government apps
What's the story
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has reportedly approached tech giants Google and Apple with a proposal to pre-install government apps on their devices.
According to Bloomberg, the initiative is part of the Indian government's strategy to improve the delivery of public welfare services through technology.
The plan is to create a suite of government apps, pre-loaded on devices before reaching consumers.
Accessibility plans
Government's app suite to be accessible via 3rd-party sources
The Indian government also wants its app suite to be accessible from third-party sources without triggering any warnings.
As part of this plan, officials have asked tech companies to include the state-backed GOV.in app store in their own marketplaces, like Apple's App Store and Google Play Store.
This was requested during a meeting with the executives of Apple and Google last mont, Bloomberg reported.
Response
Tech giants' response to government's request
The report indicates that neither Google nor Apple is likely to comply with the Indian government's demands.
"Google, whose Android operating system accounts for more than 90% of the country's roughly 700 million smartphones, is pushing back on the initiative," sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
They also claimed that Apple is unlikely to comply with this request from the Indian government.
Legal action
Legal measures to ensure compliance
In light of the tech giants' reluctance, Indian officials are mulling legal measures or a policy mandate to ensure compliance.
At present, government apps are available individually through Apple and Google's digital stores in India.
However, officials think bundling these apps into a GOV.in app suite within the stores could greatly enhance their usage among Indian users.
Global precedent
Precedent for government-suggested apps on smartphones
The idea of pre-installing government-suggested apps isn't new. Back in 2021, Apple had complied with Russian regulations by giving users an option to install government-recommended applications.
Russia's move could potentially set a precedent for India's current proposal, considering the country's history of imposing strict regulations on global tech giants, such as the 2020 ban on TikTok and legal demands for Meta to provide access to encrypted WhatsApp messages under certain conditions.