India, Dec. 3 -- After facing backlash, the Centre has withdrawn its mandate asking smartphone makers to pre-load the Sanchar Saathi app on all devices sold in India.

"Given Sanchar Saathi's increasing acceptance, the government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers," the communications ministry said in a statement today.

Notably, on December 1, the ministry directed smartphone companies, including Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi, to preload the government-backed app on all new devices sold in India. Initially, the authorities said that the app would be locked on the phone and users would not be allowed to remove it.

The app aims to fight rising cybercrime and phone fraud by blocking stol...