UIDAI says the helpline number appearing in contacts list of users is false and invalid. The body denied it had forced Android manufacturers or telecom companies to add the number to users’ contacts list. UIDAI says the helpline number appearing in contacts list of users is false and invalid. The body denied it had forced Android manufacturers or telecom companies to add the number to users’ contacts list.

Hours after the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) denied that it forced any smartphone manufacturer or telecom service provider to add a helpline number into people’s contact lists, Google accepted that it had in 2014 inadvertently coded the 112 distress number and the UIDAI number into its setup wizard for Android. This in a way put to end the controversy surrounding the mysterious entry of the UIDAI number in the contact lists of many smartphone users around the country.

“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.” https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/08/1x1.png

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”.

Interestingly, a few OEMs that indianexpress.com spoke to on Friday said they had no idea how the number had crept into devices. One of them, a manufacturer of Android devices, categorically said they have never added any number to their devices.

Indianexpress.com checked two brand new Android devices, one of which has not even been launched in India, and found both the UIDAI number as well as the distress number already in the contacts. However, not all phones we checked had the number.

Despite the Google statement, one question everyone is asking is how the number is then showing up on Apple phones. This can be attributed to the fact that most users have their Apple phones sycned to Gmail accounts which might have used Android devices at some point.

With a simple search on Google Contacts we also found the UIDIA email, though no mail had ever been sent to the said address – help@uidai.gov.in. This email ID has been synced in April 2014, corroborating Google’s statement.

UIDAI email showing in Google Contacts on web. UIDAI email showing in Google Contacts on web.

On another Gmail account, which had been used only for testing brand new phones, we found just three numbers synced. The distress number, the UIDAI number and the customer care number of one of Micromax, one of the devices tested on this account in the past.

UIDAI number on a test account. UIDAI number on a test account.

Earlier, in a statement that it tweeted, UIDAI said that the toll-free number 1800-300-1947 appearing in people’s contacts lists was outdated and invalid. “In the wake of some media reports on default inclusion of UIDAI’s outdated & invalid Toll free no. 1800-300-1947 in contact list of Android phones. It is clarified that, UIDAI has not asked or communicated to any manufacturer or service provider for providing any such facility whatsoever,” the tweet said.

Read more: Don’t make your Aadhaar number public, urges UIDAI while warning of consequences

The statement added, “It is emphasised that the said 18003001947 is not a valid UIDAI Toll free number and some vested interest are trying to create unwarranted confusion in the public.” The official helpline number for Aadhaar is 1947, which has been functional for the last two years. The Aadhaar-body maintains it has not asked any Android manufacturer or telecom company to add the same to users’ contacts list.

We found the UIDAI helpline number in the contacts list of an iPhone 8 and iPhone X. However, we could not find the helpline number on other devices like the iPhone 7, Mi A1, etc.

Read more: A defence without Aadhaar

Earlier, multiple people had tweeted about finding a number for UIDAI in their contacts list despite not having added it or giving explicit permission.

Check out some tweets below, including from UIDAI clarifying on the helpline number:

#PressStatement In the wake of some media reports on default inclusion of UIDAI’s outdated & invalid Toll free no. 1800-300-1947 in contact list of Android phones… 1/n — Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 3, 2018

… It is clarified that, UIDAI has not asked or communicated to any manufacturer or service provider for providing any such facility whatsoever. 2/n — Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 3, 2018

It is emphasised that the said 18003001947 is not a valid UIDAI Toll free number and some vested interest are trying to create unwarranted confusion in the public. 3/n — Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 3, 2018

Our valid Toll free number is 1947 which is functional for more than the last two years. 4/5 — Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 3, 2018

UIDAI has reiterated that it has not asked or advised anyone including any telecom service providers or mobile manufacturers or Android to include 18003001947 or 1947 in the default list of public service numbers.

#### 5/5 — Aadhaar (@UIDAI) August 3, 2018

Just checked the Contacts list on my phone and found a UIDAI number added there. How did this get there? #UIDAI @UIDAI . Check your phones to see if you’ve got it too. — Sumanth Raman (@sumanthraman) August 3, 2018

Android 8.1 and @Google is still adding the @UIDAI phone number to the contact list based on IP address. pic.twitter.com/gA79yA9X52 — @kingslyj (@kingslyj) August 1, 2018

I didn’t save this #UIDAI number and don’t know how it is saved in my contact list. @UIDAI any explanation ?? pic.twitter.com/1c1rIfWPP3 — MUGILAN CHANDRAKUMAR (@Mugilan__C) August 3, 2018

UIDAI contact no. In my contact list …

How, I was never saved it. pic.twitter.com/u647iTPZWS — Akshay Gupta (@akshay16111989) August 3, 2018

Hey Hey !! How is @UIDAI number inmy contact list when officials of UIDAI said they have not asked any authority or company to add it by default🙄🙄🙄!!!!! — Pareekshit (@Pareekshit16) August 3, 2018

So the government did have the 1800 number and it was routed to 1947 by an official order which names UIDAI. Who’s lying? pic.twitter.com/Ab3HTffb7i — Mayank Jain (@Mayank1029) August 3, 2018

Indianexpress.com contacted network provider Vodafone, who denied they had pushed this number. A spokesperson for Airtel wasn’t immediately available for comment. Users who find the contact number on their list can delete the number if they want to. Remember, this is not an official helpline number.

The UIDAI helpline, a toll-free number, remains 1947, and not the one that has mysteriously appeared on phones.

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