After SIM-locking WhatsApp, Signal, DoT now asks smartphone makers to preinstall cybersecurity app on phones

(Representative image)

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a new directive requiring all smartphone manufacturers to preinstall a government-developed cybersecurity app — Sanchar Saathi — on every new device sold in India. The app, designed to let users flag scam calls, report fraudulent messages, and track or block stolen phones, must also be rolled out to existing devices through a mandatory software update. Crucially, users will not be allowed to uninstall it.

The mandate comes just days after another sweeping compliance order that will force platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram to link user accounts to the SIM card used during registration. Under those rules, replacing a SIM could lead to losing access to the app, and companion features like WhatsApp Web will automatically log users out every six hours.

Smartphone makers have been given three months to include Sanchar Saathi in all new units and ensure its visibility during device setup. The requirement applies across the industry from Apple and Samsung to Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and others.

The DoT has also asked companies to push the app via software updates to devices already manufactured and currently in the sales pipeline.

“In order to safeguard citizens from buying non-genuine handsets, enable easy reporting of telecom misuse, and strengthen the Sanchar Saathi initiative, the DoT has issued directions mandating that the app be pre-installed on all mobile handsets manufactured or imported for use in India,” the ministry said in a statement on December 1.

Manufacturers must ensure that the app is visible at first use, accessible to users, and that its functions cannot be disabled. The directive must be fully implemented within 90 days, with a compliance report submitted within 120 days.

The government said these measures fall under the Telecom Cyber Security (TCS) Rules, which empower it to issue instructions to makers of devices with IMEI numbers to assist in cases involving tampered or spoofed equipment. Duplicate or spoofed IMEI numbers, it warned, pose serious risks to telecom security by allowing the same identifier to appear on multiple devices in different locations simultaneously, making enforcement extremely difficult.

India’s large second-hand smartphone market has also faced growing issues with stolen or blacklisted devices being resold, often leaving unsuspecting buyers exposed to financial loss or inadvertently abetting a crime. Sanchar Saathi allows users to check whether a device’s IMEI is blocked before purchase, the statement said.

The app itself, already available on the App Store and Google Play, has been optional so far. Once the new rules take effect, it will become a default, non-removable feature on all new phones and a forced addition on existing ones. Launched in January, the app crossed 50 lakh downloads by August. By September, government data showed that 37.28 lakh lost or stolen phones had been blocked through the platform, with 22.76 lakh successfully traced.

Sanchar Saathi’s primary function is to help users and law-enforcement agencies identify and disable lost or stolen phones using the device’s 15-digit IMEI number. It also aims to curb the circulation of counterfeit and black-market devices. Beyond device tracking, the app allows users to report suspicious calls, SMS messages or fraud attempts received even on OTT messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.