Centre Revokes Sanchar Saathi App Mandate For Smartphone Makers

SUMMARY

The app aims to fight rising cybercrime and phone fraud by blocking stolen devices, tracking lost phones and spotting fake or duplicate IMEI numbers

In the statement, the ministry said that around 1.4 Cr users have already downloaded the Sanchar Saathi app

Initially, the authorities said that the app would be locked on the phone and users would not be allowed to remove it

After facing backlash, the Centre has withdrawn its mandate asking smartphone makers to pre-load the Sanchar Saathi app on all devices sold in India.

“Given Sanchar Saathi’s increasing acceptance, the government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers,” the communications ministry said in a statement today.

Notably, on December 1, the ministry directed smartphone companies, including Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi, to preload the government-backed app on all new devices sold in India. Initially, the authorities said that the app would be locked on the phone and users would not be allowed to remove it.

The app aims to fight rising cybercrime and phone fraud by blocking stolen devices, tracking lost phones and spotting fake or duplicate IMEI numbers.

However, the Centre’s directive move faced backlash, with many on social media criticising it. It was also reported that Apple and Google planned to oppose the mandate.

Following this, telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia yesterday clarified that smartphone users would have the option to delete the app.

Now, the government has completely revoked the mandate. In the statement, the ministry said that around 1.4 Cr users have already downloaded the Sanchar Saathi app.

“The number of users has been increasing rapidly and the mandate to install the app was meant to accelerate this process and make the app available to less aware citizens easily. Just in the last one day, 6 Lakh citizens have registered for downloading the app which is a 10x increase in its uptake,” it added.

Notably, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) recently also instructed messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, ShareChat, Snapchat, JioChat, Josh, and Zoho’s Arattai to implement mandatory SIM binding. Under this rule, users will only be able to access these apps on the device that contains the SIM used at the time of registration.

This mandate was also positioned as a response to rising telecom-related cyber fraud. However, concerns were raised about this as well, as SIM binding may disrupt legitimate usage patterns, particularly for users traveling abroad or accessing messaging platforms across several devices.