The Sanchar Saathi app, which the government says only helps track and block stolen phones and prevents them from being misused, will, however, continue to be available on app stores for voluntary downloads.

“The government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers,” the communications ministry said in a press statement.

The move follows protests from opposition parties and privacy advocates who felt the app could listen to calls as well as read messages. Some manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung were said to have voiced reservations over the November 28 order.

“The number of users has been increasing rapidly, and the mandate to install the app was meant to accelerate this process and make the app available to less aware citizens easily. Just in the last one day, 6 lakh citizens have registered for downloading the app, which is a 10x increase in its uptake,” the ministry said in the statement.

Globally, hardly any country has mandated pre-loading of a cybersecurity app on all smartphones. The only reported exception is Russia, which in August ordered that MAX – a state-backed messaging service viewed by critics as a potential surveillance tool – be installed by default on all phones and tablets.