India has revoked an order to smartphone manufacturers to install a government-owned cybersecurity application on all new mobile devices following massive backlash amid digital rights concerns.
According to an official notification issued by the Department of Telecommunications on November 28, all leading smartphone makers, including Apple and Samsung, were given 90 days to add the government’s Sanchar Saathi application to all newly manufactured devices.
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The government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the order was part of a move to tackle fraud and misuse of mobile phones.
The order faced pushback, however, both from tech companies and digital privacy advocates. Prior to its withdrawal, Apple, based in the United States, reportedly said it would not comply with the order due to a host of privacy- and security-related issues.
Here is what we know.
What did the order say?
Under the directive issued by India’s Department of Telecommunications, manufacturers were told to ensure that Sanchar Saathi was “pre-installed on all mobile handsets manufactured or imported for use in India” within 90 days.
The app, manufacturers were told, was to be “readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup” and its features “not disabled or restricted”.
For devices already in supply, manufacturers and importers were told to “make an endeavour to push the App through software updates”, the order stated.
The directive also required companies to submit compliance reports to the telecom ministry within 120 days.
According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in May, more than 85 percent of households in India own smartphones.
Sanchar Saathi is a snooping app, and clearly it’s ridiculous. Citizens have the right to privacy. Everyone must have the right to privacy to send messages to family and friends without the government looking at everything.
It’s not just snooping on the telephone. They’re… pic.twitter.com/omw2XlD5pq
— Congress (@INCIndia) December 2, 2025
Why did the Indian government order this?
Justifying the order, the government said the country’s Telecom Cyber Security Rules empower it to set up mechanisms “necessary to identify and report acts that may endanger telecom cyber security”, and that Sanchar Saathi will enable “stakeholders to report International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) – related suspicious misuse and also to verify authenticity of IMEIs used in mobile devices”.
The IMEI is a unique 15-digit number that is used to identify a specific mobile device.
How did smartphone manufacturers respond?
An industry source familiar with Apple’s concern regarding the app told Reuters that the tech giant would explain to the Indian government that it does not follow any such mandates anywhere in the world.
Another industry insider told Reuters that South Korean-based tech company Samsung was reviewing the order, but had not given any details about how it planned to pursue the matter.
What were the criticisms of the order?
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) of India called it a “deeply worrying expansion of executive control over personal digital devices”.
“The stated objective of curbing IMEI fraud and improving telecom security is, on its face, a legitimate state aim. But the means chosen are disproportionate, legally fragile, and structurally hostile to user privacy and autonomy,” it said in a statement.
Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Priyanka Gandhi called Sanchar Saathi a “snooping” app and “ridiculous”.
The Delhi-based Software Freedom Law Centre told Al Jazeera the directive was another example of attempts “to take away user autonomy, make a mockery of consent and have 24 hours State in My Home measure”.
“This is the start of a slippery slope of function creep. Such deep integration of state software on private devices ensures an expansion of surveillance capacities without fresh public debate each time new changes are made,” it said.
“Government has no business being in our devices that are more intimate to us than our loved ones.”
A similar controversy arose in 2020, when the Indian government required all public and private sector employees to use its COVID-19 contact tracing app, Aarogya Setu, which critics described as a “privacy minefield”.
When did India revoke the order?
Early on Wednesday, the government said it would be willing to amend the order “based on the feedback we receive”. Hours later, the order was revoked.
“Government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers,” India’s Communications Ministry said in a press statement.
“The app is secure and purely meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyber world,” it added.
Government removes mandatory pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi App.
“The Government with an intent to provide access to cyber security to all citizens had mandated pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi app on all smartphones. The app is secure and purely meant to help citizens… pic.twitter.com/u4AgSuLrkh
— ANI (@ANI) December 3, 2025
The IFF said that while this was a “welcome development”, it was still awaiting the full legal order accompanying the revocation.
Statement
The PIB has just issued a statement at 3:00 PM on December 3, 2025 that the government will not make pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app mandatory for mobile manufacturers. This is a welcome development, but we are still awaiting the full text of the legal order… pic.twitter.com/VQV4t8YNfK
— Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) (@internetfreedom) December 3, 2025
Are other countries making similar orders?
Earlier this year, Russia launched Max, an app aimed at curbing the use of stolen phones in fraud schemes while also broadening access to state-backed digital services.
Russian authorities claim Max is more secure than apps provided by foreign competitors.
Developed by the state-controlled tech firm VK, Max is integrated with government platforms and has been mandatory on all new mobile phones and tablets sold since September 1.
Moscow said the move would ensure a “safer” digital ecosystem. However, critics argue the app is likely to be used for surveillance purposes, an allegation Moscow has rejected.
In August, Russia announced restrictions on voice calls on the WhatsApp and Telegram messaging apps, saying they had become the main voice services used to “involve Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities”. It alleged that requests to take countermeasures had been “ignored” by the owners of the social media apps.
