Google admits to 'inadvertently coding' Aadhaar helpline number in Indian Android phones

[Redaktion]

Smartphone users in India are reporting seeing an entry for a contact in their phonebook that purportedly belongs to a Government authority. The number apparently was added without users' consent and Google has now issued a clarification that this contact entry was 'inadvertently coded' in Android releases seeded to Indian OEMs. Google's statement, however, creates more questions than answers.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Google-admits-to-inadvertently-coding-Aadhaar-helpline-number-in-Indian-Android-phones.320830.0.html

[Awyldebr]

Poor article this one - reads like you're being deliberately antagonistic rather than undertaking meaningful journalism. To your questions:

1. Google has been coding 112 into Android for a long time, my first smartphone had this back in 2010. Other phone manufacturers have been too - my first Nokia from 2002 also has it. It's a sensible measure for all international users, not a response to local regulations. The other hotline number was probably similar, or else was coded during a preliminary discussion with authorities which ended up being rolled back.

2. This is actually a good question, and should have been the subject of your article. Presumably a recent update has inadvertently activated the code in the OS, and researching this would have produced an interesting piece of development insight.

3. Because those skinned and custom ROMs had to be built from something, this should be fairly obvious? They don't rewrite Android from the ground up just to change a few icons....

To conflate this with a conspiracy to bring down a government initiative is irresponsible, and a call for user privacy vigilance - while never actually wrong - is irrelevant to the circumstances. This website is great for factual reporting and analysis. Please don't let this article be the first of more to come.