Overview
- COAI’s plan would require smartphones to keep A-GPS active at all times with no option for users to disable location services, enabling roughly meter-level precision.
- Apple, Google and Samsung, represented by ICEA, warned the mandate would be regulatory overreach and said A-GPS is not deployed for surveillance.
- The home ministry’s meeting with smartphone executives was postponed, and both the IT and home ministries are reviewing the proposal with no decision yet.
- Telecom operators urged the government to suppress pop-up alerts that disclose carrier location access, a move device makers oppose to preserve transparency.
- The review comes shortly after the government scrapped an order to preload the Sanchar Saathi app on new phones following privacy objections.