India, Dec. 4 -- The Union Government on Wednesday withdrew its mandate to manufacturers and importers on pre-installing the Sanchar Saathi app on all smartphones. The move comes after the order was widely criticised for infringing on privacy.

"Given Sanchar Saathi's increasing acceptance, the Government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers," the Ministry of Communication, parent ministry for the Department of Telecom (DoT), said in a statement. "Just in the last one day, 6 lakh citizens have registered for downloading the app, which is a 10x increase in its uptake. Given Sanchar Saathi's increasing acceptance, the Government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manu...