Sanchar Saathi mandate: No privacy risks; pre-install order has strong legal backing as app downloads jump 10x, say govt sources

Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday that users remain free to delete the Sanchar Saathi app. (Courtesy: PTI photo)

The government has countered criticism of its order requiring smartphone makers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app, asserting that the mandate carries no privacy or surveillance risks, delivers clear fraud-prevention benefits, and is firmly grounded in law under the Telecom Cybersecurity Rules 2024 notified through the Telecommunications Act 2023, senior officials told Moneycontrol.

According to officials, the app has seen a sharp surge in adoption — a tenfold jump in daily downloads to roughly 6 lakh from the usual 60,000 — with 1.5 crore users already having downloaded it before the directive was issued.

The November 28 order directs all smartphone manufacturers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi on new devices sold in India and add it to existing devices via software updates. It further requires that the app be visible and accessible during first use or device setup and that manufacturers do not disable or restrict its functionality. Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has already clarified that users remain free to delete the app.

“There are no privacy or surveillance risks associated with Sanchar Saathi. The 7 (b) of the said directive dated 28.11.25 intent is to ensure that the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi application by the manufacturer is readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup and that its functionalities are not disabled or restricted by the manufacturer,” an official said.

Officials stressed that the phrase "ensure that the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi application is readily visible and accessible … and that its functionalities are not disabled or restricted" applies only to manufacturers and does not impose any restriction on users. "It simply means manufacturers must not hide, cripple or pre-install a non-functional version of the app and later claim compliance. Nowhere it has been mentioned in the above clause that the Sanchar Saathi app cannot be uninstalled by the end user. It is up to the citizen if he wants to enable and register Sanchar Saathi mobile app or wants to uninstall it. Users remain free to uninstall or delete the Sanchar Saathi if they do not wish to use it, as clearly clarified by the government,” the official added.

Sources said that the directive is legally and constitutionally sound. "The directions have been issued under the Telecom Cybersecurity Rules 2024 (as amended) framed under Telecommunications Act 2023," the official added.

Sources also emphasised that Sanchar Saathi has only limited access to phone data — and only with explicit user consent during each "interaction of reporting fraud". The app seeks permissions similar to many other applications: "make & manage phone calls" to verify the active SIM before registration, and permission to send an SMS to complete user verification. "This is a one-time SMS, similar to OTP verification processes used by banking apps, UPI applications, and communication platforms. The app does not use this for anything else that may be enabled by this permission," a source said.

The app may also request camera access to capture images of devices — such as IMEI numbers on packaging — or to allow users to upload screenshots of suspected fraud. Officials underlined that “the app is designed not to have any access to contacts, other apps, location, microphone, bluetooth, or any other private functionalities or data of the user that is specifically not permitted by the user in "every interaction of reporting fraud’ of the user with the app." Users can revoke permissions, deregister numbers, or uninstall the app at any time.

"The Sanchar Saathi app has limited access to phone data and that too only to the extent citizens permit it in each 'interaction of reporting fraud','" a DoT source reiterated.

The mandate has split the handset industry. Indian brands like Lava have welcomed the order and are working on implementation, while Apple and major Chinese manufacturers continue to evaluate the directive and are expected to push back, Moneycontrol reported on December 1.

For Apple, compliance would require changes to iOS, which does not support pre-installation of third-party apps, and the company has historically resisted such mandates globally citing user privacy. According to sources, instead of preloading the application, Apple may propose an alternative approach that encourages users to install Sanchar Saathi via an App Store.