NEW DELHI, India: India has reversed course on a directive that would have forced smartphone makers to preload a government cybersecurity app on all new devices, stepping back just two days after issuing the mandate.

The Ministry of Communications had ordered phone manufacturers on December 1 to install the state-run "Sanchar Saathi" app within 90 days and to prevent users from disabling it. The directive also sought to push the app onto existing devices via a software update.

The move sparked immediate criticism from privacy advocates and industry groups, who warned it could compromise user consent in one of the world's biggest smartphone markets. It also ran counter to internal policies at companies like Apple, which bars preinstallation of any third-party app, including government tools, on its devices.

On December 3, the ministry said in a statement that it had seen 600,000 new user registrations for the app in the previous 24 hours, but added that the government "has decided not to make the preinstallation mandatory for mobile manufacturers."

"The app is secure and purely meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyberworld. There is no other function other than protecting the users in the app and they can remove the app whenever they want," the statement said.

A day earlier, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia had already described the app as voluntary amid rising concerns that it could erode privacy standards.

Released in January, Sanchar Saathi allows users to block and track lost or stolen phones and to detect and disable fraudulent mobile connections. It has recorded at least 14 million downloads, according to government figures.