Apple refuses to pre-install government app on iPhones in India

Surprising no one, Apple has indicated that it will not comply with a new order from the Indian government requiring it to pre-install a state-run cybersecurity app on all iPhones sold in the country.

According to three anonymous sources cited by Reuters, Apple “does not plan” to preload iPhones with the Sanchar Saathi app, which is supposed to combat fraud, track stolen devices, and deliver government messaging. Two of the sources added that Apple will convey to the ministry its concerns about the privacy and security implications of this plan.

One of the sources added that Apple does not intend “to go to court or take a public stand.” Instead, it will simply (and, presumably, privately) tell the government that it cannot follow the order because of security factors.

Reuters had earlier this week broken news of the confidential order, which is understood to have been passed on November 28. India’s telecoms ministry privately contacted smartphone makers–including Oppo, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi, as well as Apple–to instruct them to preload the app on all devices sold in the future, and to push it out to handsets already in use via software updates. It’s unclear whether the other companies intend to obey the order.

The order further stipulated that the app’s functions could not be disabled or restricted by the user.

Even at the time it seemed unlikely that Apple would comply with the order, as Reuters noted in its original article. A source with direct knowledge of the matter said that Apple’s internal policies “prohibit installation of any government or third-party app before sale of a smartphone,” and it has refused such requests on multiple occasions in the past.

Apple has shown that it is prepared to resist official measures that it believes will compromise the security or privacy of iPhone users, even when doing so is unpopular, such as the iPhone 5c that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters back in 2015/2016. But in this case, the company would have considerable support. The ministry has been criticised heavily for what has been characterised as covert surveillance and governmental overreach, with one member of the main opposition party proclaiming that “Big Brother cannot watch us.”

It doesn’t help that the precise terms of the order remain confidential and unclear. Defending the measures, telecom minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia insisted the app was “voluntary and democratic” and that users can “easily delete it from their phone at any time.” The app can indeed currently be deleted (it’s available for free on the App Store), but it would seem illogical for an order that insists the app cannot be disabled to not also stipulate that it cannot be deleted.

Apple may agree to some sort of compromise, such as advertising or highlighting the app to Indian iPhone owners, but it would be a surprise if it agreed to preload the app. And given the company’s successful cultivation of friends in high places, it’s likely to receive assistance if political pressure is applied.