NEW DELHI — India’s government on Wednesday scrapped a controversial order that would have forced all new smartphones sold in the country to ship with the Sanchar Saathi app preinstalled, after a wave of privacy criticism from civil society, opposition parties and global phone makers. Officials say the U-turn follows rising voluntary use of the Sanchar Saathi app and “public feedback,” while critics argue it reflects resistance to state overreach into personal devices, Dec. 4, 2025.
How the Sanchar Saathi app became a flashpoint
First launched as a web portal in 2023 to help people block stolen phones, check mobile connections in their name and verify device IMEIs, the Sanchar Saathi app grew out of the Department of Telecommunications’ anti-fraud push. A press note announcing the portal, followed by early how-to guides on tracking lost phones and step-by-step explainers on recovering stolen devices, framed it as a citizen-centric tool to fight identity theft and telecom scams rather than a surveillance system.
Since then, the Sanchar Saathi platform has been credited with blocking more than 4 million stolen or lost phones, disconnecting over 14 million suspect mobile connections and attracting at least 14 million app downloads, according to recent government data. Supporters say those numbers show the system’s value in curbing SIM fraud and device theft that have fuelled online banking and identity scams across India.
From quiet mandate to quick climbdown
That track record did not stop the government from overreaching. Late last month, the telecom ministry quietly directed smartphone makers and importers to ship every new handset with an undeletable version of the Sanchar Saathi app and to push it to many existing devices via software updates, giving companies three months to comply, according to the Associated Press and Reuters. The order, issued under new telecom cybersecurity rules and initially kept private, effectively sought to embed a government program into the firmware of hundreds of millions of smartphones.
News of the mandate leaked this week and sparked an immediate backlash from digital rights groups, opposition politicians and security researchers, who warned that a non-removable Sanchar Saathi app could be repurposed as a surveillance tool or “kill switch” against dissent. Major manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, also signalled unease or outright resistance, while a detailed Hindustan Times analysis and TechCrunch reporting chronicled how mounting public outrage, legal questions, and industry pushback made the policy politically untenable.
Government insists on security, critics see creeping control.
Even as it backed down, the government has continued to defend the Sanchar Saathi app as a voluntary, privacy-respecting safety tool that helps users block stolen phones, spot rogue SIM cards and report scam calls or messages. Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Parliament this week that the app does not enable “snooping,” stressing that users can activate, deactivate or delete it at will, and officials have pointed to a surge in downloads during the controversy as evidence that citizens will install it without being forced.
The reversal also underscores how India’s digital policy can zigzag under pressure, echoing an earlier U-turn on a surprise laptop import licensing plan that was rolled back after international lobbying. For privacy advocates, the short-lived bid to hard-wire the Sanchar Saathi app into every new device is a warning that future security measures must be debated in public and backed by strong data-protection law, not rushed directives; for millions of users, it is a reminder that protecting phones from fraud should not mean surrendering control over what runs on them.
