The Ministry of Communication slipped out a secret directive on 28 November ordering Apple and its rivals to preload the Sanchar Saathi app in a way that could not be disabled. Within days, the government was forced into a U-turn as Apple, its users, lawyers and privacy groups shouted at the move.

The withdrawal means Job’s Mob can keep selling iPhones in India without being strong-armed into bundling an undeletable state-backed tracker. Officials tried to save face by insisting the app enjoyed “increasing acceptance”, claiming a tenfold spike in registrations with more than 600,000 people signing up after the whole mess went public.

India’s Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia insisted worries about surveillance were misplaced. “Snooping is neither possible nor will it happen” with the app, Scindia said.

The Internet Freedom Foundation described the retreat as encouraging, although unfinished.

“This is a welcome development, but we are still awaiting the full text of the legal order that should accompany this announcement, including any revised directions under the Cyber Security Rules, 2024,” it said.

The group is treating the episode with “cautious optimism, not closure” until the paperwork is squared away.

The climbdown does little to convince critics that India will not try something similar later, although for now New Delhi appears to have stepped back from tangling with Job’s Mob and the wider smartphone industry.