Pre-installed software and bloatware are a common source of frustration for many Apple iPhone and Samsung smartphone owners, but they now have the option of removing programmes like the Safari browser and Samsung Pay Mini.
According to two persons and a government document seen by Reuters, the Centre intends to require smartphone manufacturers to permit the removal of factory-installed apps and to screen significant operating system updates.
The new regulations, the specifics of which have not yet been made public, may cause delays in product launches in the No. 2 smartphone market in the world and decrease pre-installed app revenue for players like Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Apple.
One of the two sources, a senior government official, who not to be named because the information was not yet made public, said that the IT ministry is taking these new regulations into consideration due to worries about surveillance and the misuse of user data.
Pre-installed software can pose a serious security risk, a senior officer told Reuters, and the Center wants to make sure that no foreign countries, notably China, are taking advantage of it.
Nowadays, the majority of smartphones come with pre-installed programmes that cannot be removed, like the web browser Safari from Apple and the payment tools Samsung Pay mini and GetApps from Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi.
According to two persons with knowledge of the proposal, the new regulations will require smartphone manufacturers to include an uninstall option and to have new models evaluated for compliance by a lab approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards agency.
source from: msn.com
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