Govt directs smartphone makers to preinstall undeletable ‘Sanchar Saathi’ app nationwide

The DoT mandates all manufacturers to ship new phones with the cybersecurity app and push updates to existing devices as part of its expanded anti-fraud and digital security strategy.

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a major directive requiring every smartphone sold in the country to come with the government-developed Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity application preinstalled, and users will not be allowed to delete it. The instruction has been sent to all major smartphone makers operating in India, including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo.

The DoT has also asked manufacturers to roll out a software update to add the app to devices that are already in circulation. Companies have been given three months to comply, a timeline industry officials expect will face pushback due to the scale of changes required across operating systems and user interfaces.

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The move is part of a broader national push to tighten cybersecurity, anti-spam controls, and fraud prevention. This strategy includes a recent order to online communication platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, mandating that these services must work only if the original SIM card used during registration remains inserted in the device. This will also lead to periodic logout from linked web services like WhatsApp Web every six hours.

Sanchar Saathi, launched earlier this year, is currently available for voluntary download on Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. It has recorded over 50 lakh downloads so far, with government data showing more than 37.28 lakh lost or stolen phones blocked and 22.76 lakh devices traced through the platform.

The app allows users to block and track lost or stolen devices using the phone’s unique 15-digit IMEI number, helping mobile networks identify a device even if the SIM card is changed. It also enables users to report suspicious calls, spam messages and fraud attempts across SMS, calls and apps like WhatsApp, strengthening digital safety for citizens. Police forces can also use the platform to trace stolen devices, reducing the flow of counterfeit phones into illegal markets.

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To meet the new directive, communication apps will now need to access the IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) stored on SIM cards, instead of relying solely on OTP verification. The government believes the change will prevent misuse of messaging platforms without a valid SIM link.

Smartphone manufacturers and app platforms are yet to publicly comment on the directive, but industry members indicate that compliance will require significant software restructuring, especially given the requirement that the app cannot be removed by users.