India appears to have backtracked on an order for all smartphones to run a government-launched cybersecurity app, after a backlash over privacy concerns.
The directive was issued to leading manufacturers including Apple and Samsung, giving them 90 days to make sure all new phones are sold with the Sanchar Saathi app pre-installed.
They were also ordered to ensure the app could not be deleted by users, and that future software updates would roll the app out to owners of older phone models as well.
After a backlash from experts, opposition parties and members of the public, who called the move “dystopian” and said forcing a government app on users in this way put India on a par with North Korea and Russia, India’s telecoms minister said on Tuesday that the app would remain “completely optional”.
“If you want to delete it, you can. If you don’t wish to register, you shouldn’t register and can remove it anytime,” he told reporters outside parliament, contrary to the orders issued in the directive.
Factcheck : This clarification is incorrect. The direction clearly states in Paragraph 7(b) which states that Sanchar Sathi cannot be, "disabled or restricted".
— Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) December 2, 2025
IFF's statement : https://t.co/yhnI1jhepZ https://t.co/EMrD2EX0vP pic.twitter.com/P4LYM3OdR8
The Sanchar Saathi app allows users to block or track a stolen phone across networks and to weed out mobile numbers fraudulently registered under their name.
Government data shows the app – launched in January – has supported the recovery of more than 700,000 lost phones, including 50,000 in October alone, and helped cut access to millions of fraudulent mobile connections.
Authorities say Sanchar Saathi aims to prevent what they call “serious endangerment” to telecom cybersecurity stemming from spoofed or duplicated IMEI numbers – the unique 14- to 17-digit identifier embedded in every handset.
The government had argued that rolling the app out more broadly was a necessary defence against expanding cyber threats.
But the order prompted alarm among privacy advocates and risked a confrontation with Apple in particular, with the US company’s policies prohibiting countries from forcing it to pre-install apps, including government-run ones.
The order, first reported by Reuters and since widely shared online, was not made public and was shared privately with select brands, including Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi.
The opposition Congress party demanded an immediate rollback and said the move violated citizens’ right to privacy. KC Venugopal, Congress general secretary, said: “Big Brother cannot watch us. This DoT (Department of Telecommunications) Direction is beyond unconstitutional
“The Right to Privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution.
“A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian. It is a means to watch over every movement, interaction and decision of each citizen.
Big Brother cannot watch us. This DoT Direction is beyond unconstitutional.
— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) December 1, 2025
The Right to Privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution.
A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a… pic.twitter.com/kx33c7fmda
“This is part of the long series of relentless assaults on the constitutional rights of Indian citizens and will not be allowed to continue.
“We reject this direction and demand an immediate rollback.”
However, critics said the policy outlined in the directive undermined a fundamental principle of digital autonomy. “The government effectively removes user consent as a meaningful choice,” said technology lawyer and internet-policy specialist Mishi Choudhary earlier.
Forcing a non-disableable, non-uninstallable government application onto every new phone in India crosses every red line the Constitution drew. It is not “cyber security”; it is state spyware by another name.
— Divyanshu Rai (@divstoic) December 1, 2025
Privacy activists previously criticised Russia for imposing a similar requirement earlier this year for its own state-backed messenger service.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, member of parliament, wrote on X: “Sanchar Saathi mobile application mandate to every mobile phone manufacturer as a permanent mobile feature by the GoI (government of India) is nothing but another BIG BOSS surveillance moment. Such shady ways to get into individual phones will be protested and opposed & if the IT Ministry thinks that instead of creating robust redressal systems it will create surveillance systems then it should be ready for a pushback!”
Another controversial move, Centre directs mobile manufacturers to pre-install ‘Sanchar Saathi mobile Application’ in all mobile phones, it’s functionalities cannot be disabled or restricted.
— Arvind Gunasekar (@arvindgunasekar) December 1, 2025
Unrestricted access to our phones ?! pic.twitter.com/pIA0BIFTVA
Another X user, Tehseen Poonawalla, wrote: “Outrageous! Wake up INDIA! The Govt’s Sanchar Saathi app mandate is a blatant assault on our privacy & freedom! By forcing it pre-installed on every new phone, not allowing us to uninstall the app, all under the guise of ‘safety’, the government will potentially have the power to spy on our calls, texts & location. This is surveillance at its worst, & the government will have the power to track us like criminals!
“We need to fight this.”
We will defeat the Govt move to order phone manufacturers to pre-install the undeletable Sanchar Saathi on all new phones sold in India & to push it on existing phones via updates. We will defeat this order constitutionally & democratically!
— Tehseen Poonawalla Official 🇮🇳 (@tehseenp) December 1, 2025
Jai Hind Jai Bharat Jai Constitution! pic.twitter.com/7WT5xmdXDJ
Apple occupies a small but growing share of India’s smartphone market – about 4.5 per cent of 735 million devices as of mid-2025 – according to Counterpoint Research. The company has previously locked horns with the telecoms regulator over development of a government anti-spam mobile app.
While Apple typically pre-loads its own suite of applications, internal policy explicitly prohibits pre-installation of any government or third-party software before sale. A person familiar with the company’s stance told Reuters that exception requests have consistently been denied around the world.
Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint, said Apple’s position is unlikely to shift quickly: “Apple has historically refused such requests from governments.” He noted that the company might pursue a compromise such as adding an on-screen prompt encouraging – rather than forcing – users to download the app.
Sanchar Saathi mobile Application mandate to every mobile phone manufacturer as a permanent mobile feature by the GoI is nothing but another BIG BOSS surveillance moment.
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) December 1, 2025
Such shady ways to get into individual phones will be protested and opposed & if the IT Ministry thinks that…
“It’s likely to seek a middle ground: instead of a mandatory pre-install, they might negotiate and ask for an option to nudge users towards installing the app.”
The Independent has reached out to India’s telecom ministry and Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi for comments.
India is the world’s second-largest mobile phone market, with more than 1.2 billion telecom subscribers. Sanchar Saathi has been downloaded more than 5 million times, according to official figures, and has been used to block over 3.7 million stolen or lost phones and terminate more than 30 million fraudulent mobile connections.
More bad news for mobile phone users in India (after SIM binding): Our government is mandating a government app (sanchar saathi) on every new phone, permanently, Reuters reports.
— Nikhil Pahwa (@nixxin) December 1, 2025
Will be pushed to your phone via OTA. New smartphones need to have it. Users cannot delete it. This…
To digital rights campaigners, mandatory, non-removable state software sets a troubling precedent. They warn that the lack of public consultation over the move raises deeper questions about monitoring and data security at a time when smartphone-based identification, banking and communication tools are woven into daily life.
An X user who goes by the name Mohit Chauhan wrote: “Countries with non-deletable govt mobile application on citizens phones: • Russia • North Korea.
“Now the Modi government has asked smartphone makers to preload all new devices in India with the non-deletable, state-owned Sanchar Saathi app.”
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