Major technology companies, including Apple, Google, and Samsung, are strongly opposing a recent proposal in India that would mandate always-on satellite location tracking for smartphones. The pushback centres on severe privacy concerns and what the industry terms regulatory overreach.
The proposal, advocated by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), seeks to activate Assisted GPS (A-GPS) technology on all devices. This system uses satellite signals to provide location data accurate within a meter, a significant upgrade from the approximate locations provided by current cellular tower triangulation.
Exclusive: India's government is reviewing a telecom industry proposal to force smartphone firms to enable satellite location tracking that is always activated for better surveillance, a move opposed by Apple, Google and Samsung due to privacy concerns https://t.co/xh0A740SwJ
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 5, 2025According to a Reuters report citing internal documents, the tech giants have formally communicated their objections to the Indian government. A confidential letter from the India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), which represents these companies, stated that such a mandate has “no precedent globally” and would effectively transform smartphones into “dedicated surveillance devices.”
The protest follows recent successful public pressure that forced the government to withdraw an earlier order requiring smartphone makers to pre-install the government-developed Sanchar Saathi cyber safety app.
A scheduled meeting between India’s Ministry of Home Affairs and smartphone industry executives to discuss the proposal has now been postponed. As of now, no official policy decision has been made, and neither the IT Ministry nor the Home Ministry has issued public statements in response to the controversy.
Digital rights experts and activists echo the industry’s concerns, warning that constant, precise location tracking would create significant risks for privacy violations and the potential misuse of sensitive personal data by authorities.
