What is Sanchar Saathi? App that Centre wants smartphone makers to preinstall on their phones
Smartphone manufacturers were given three months (90 days) to comply with the directive.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked smartphone companies in India to pre-install government-developed cybersecurity to combat the recent rise in cybercrime and hacking. applicationSanchar Saathi, Reuters reported. The department told smartphone companies that users should not be able to delete the app. He insisted that all new devices sold by manufacturers come with the ‘Sanchar Saathi’ app pre-installed and insisted that phones already sold with this app be given a software update.
What is Sanchar Saathi?
It is a government-developed cybersecurity application (app) that allows users to report fraudulent calls, messages, and stolen mobile phones. It empowers mobile subscribers, strengthens their security and raises awareness of the government’s citizen-centric initiatives, according to the DoT website. You can access Sanchar Saathi via mobile application and web portal (www.sancharsaathi.gov.in).
The app allows tracking and blocking of lost or stolen phones anywhere in India based on the IMEI of the phones. It was released in January 2025 and reached 50 lakh downloads by August. According to the Indian Express, smartphone manufacturers were given three months (90 days) to comply with the directive; Companies are expected to withdraw this directive, industry executives said. This will affect manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, among others.
This comes just days after the DoT issued a major order to popular messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Snapchat, ShareChat, JioChat, Arattai and Josh to ensure that their services cannot be used unless the user has an active SIM card on their device.
