India’s government is reportedly weighing a telecoms proposal that would require smartphones to keep satellite-based location tracking permanently switched on, triggering pushback from Apple, Google and Samsung over privacy and security concerns.

The plan, backed by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), would require device makers to activate Assisted GPS (A-GPS) on all smartphones to give authorities more precise location data during legal investigations, Reuters reported. According to documents seen by the news outlet, the proposal would remove users’ ability to switch off location services.

Today, law enforcement agencies rely largely on cellular tower data that can only provide approximate locations. Technology experts cited by Reuters said continuous A-GPS access could allow authorities to track users to within about a metre.

The COAI also urged the government to require device makers to disable location tracking alerts on users’ smartphones, warning they can tip off targets of investigations.

Regulatory overreach
Lobby group India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), which represents Apple and Google, warned the government there is “no precedent anywhere else in the world” for compulsory, device-level A-GPS surveillance. In a confidential letter to the government in July, the group reportedly argued the technology “is not deployed or supported for location surveillance” and described the proposal as a potential “regulatory overreach”.

The industry association flagged risks to national security, noting that smartphones are widely used by military members, journalists and judges, who could be exposed if precise location data were misused or compromised.

The ICEA also told authorities that location tracking notifications are essential to maintaining transparency and trust, arguing that privacy protections should take priority.

India’s IT and home ministries are reviewing the proposal, but no decision has been made. A meeting with senior smartphone industry executives scheduled for this week has apparently been postponed.

The proposal follows a separate privacy controversy last week after the government scrapped a mandate requiring smartphone makers to preload a state-backed cyber safety app on all devices, a move that drew criticism from companies including Apple over privacy risks.