Google takes responsibility, says it coded UIDAI helpline into phones

Mumbai: Tech giant and Android parent Google on Friday took responsibility for a coding flaw that caused a defunct Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) helpline number to appear in the contact lists of some mobile phone users. 

Google stated that it was at their end that the then helpline number - 1800-300-1947 - was coded into device back in 2014 and remained there since. 

The clarification came hours after social media angst against UIDAI, with users blaming the agency that oversees Aadhaar identification system for pushing the information to their devices without consent.

“Our internal review has revealed that in 2014, the then UIDAI helpline number and the 112 distress helpline number were inadvertently coded into the SetUp wizard of the Android release given to OEMs for use in India and has remained there since. Since the numbers get listed on a user’s contact list these get transferred accordingly to the contacts on any new device,” a statement from Google said.

Apologising for “any concern that this might have caused”, the statement from a Google spokesperson said it “would like to assure everyone that this is not a situation of an unauthorised access of their Android devices. Users can manually delete the number from their devices”.

The statement said Google will work towards fixing this in an “upcoming release of SetUp wizard which will be made available to OEMs over the next few weeks.”

It all started when a large number of mobile phone users on social media reported the sudden placement of a contact featuring the old toll-free helpline number of UIDAI. UIDAI refuted media reports in a series of tweets earlier on Friday and highlighted that the helpline number spotted by the users was no longer a valid number, and it was changed to 1947 two years ago. 

"UIDAI has reiterated that it has not asked or advised anyone including any telecom service providers or mobile manufacturers or Android to include 1800-300-1947 or 1947 in the default list of public service numbers," the authority behind Aadhaar had said.

Also Read: Nothing to do with it, says UIDAI after Aadhaar helpline creeps into phones​

It was initially speculated that the number was pushed from the telecom service provider. However, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) denied any role in the matter by its associated telcos while responding to an emailed query. "The inclusion of a certain unknown number in the phonebooks of various mobile handsets is not from any telecom service provider," COAI had said.