NEW DELHI — India ’s telecoms ministry on Wednesday rolled back its order for smartphone manufacturers to preinstall a government-run cybersecurity app on new devices.

The Ministry of Communications on Monday asked smartphone makers to install the government’s “Sanchar Saathi” app within 90 days and to prevent users from disabling it. It also required manufacturers to push the app onto older models through a software update.

Monday’s directive led to widespread criticism and concerns of violation of data privacy and user consent in one of the largest handset markets in the world. That order also clashed with policies of companies such as U.S.-based Apple , which prohibits preinstalling third-party apps on its devices, including those developed by governments.

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