India’s government backs down after Apple refuses order to preinstall app

India’s government has backed down less than a week after sending a private order to smartphone makers asking them to preload a state-backed app on all phones in the region. The reversal comes after industry sources said Reuters that Apple was considering refusing to comply with the order.

Sanchar Saathi is a security application operated by the Indian Ministry of Telecommunications that includes features to track and block lost or stolen phones using their IMEI. Anyone can already download it from the App Store or Google Play Store, but the Indian government’s order would have required phone makers to preload it on all phones in the region and prevent users from disabling it.

The Indian Ministry of Communications announced this change of heart in a press release on Wednesday, while affirming that “[Sanchar Saathi] is secure and only intended to help citizens against bad actors in the cyber world.

The statement does not address the backlash and privacy concerns raised by the order making the app mandatory. Instead, he attributes the policy change to voluntary app downloads, saying: “Given the growing acceptance of Sanchar Saathi, [the] The government has decided not to make pre-installation compulsory for mobile manufacturers.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.