New Delhi: The government has stepped back from its plan to make the Sanchar Saathi app a compulsory feature on all new smartphones, just days after issuing a directive to that effect.
The original order, released on December 1 by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), would have required manufacturers to pre-install the app on all devices starting March 2026. Officials had argued that the measure was intended to curb the growing problem of phones using fake or spoofed IMEI numbers, which they said posed a risk to national telecom security.
However, the mandate quickly triggered strong criticism from digital rights groups and opposition leaders, who warned that forcing an app onto every device could erode user autonomy and pave the way for intrusive surveillance. Responding to the backlash, the government issued a fresh statement clarifying that pre-installation would not be enforced.
At the same time, authorities portrayed the app’s recent surge in popularity as evidence of public confidence. Sanchar Saathi, introduced in 2023 to help citizens verify mobile connections and report suspicious calls or online fraud, has grown to 1.4 crore users. According to officials, people collectively flag around 2,000 fraud attempts every day through the platform. Following the brief period when pre-installation seemed imminent, the app reportedly saw an extraordinary spike in interest: six lakh new users signed up within just 24 hours — a 10-fold jump in its usual pace.
In its updated statement, the government emphasized that the app is designed solely to protect mobile users and assist in ‘jan bhagidari (public participation)’ by enabling the public to report cybercriminals and fraudulent activity. It reiterated that Sanchar Saathi contains no features beyond security functions and may be uninstalled at any time.
While the policy reversal addresses the privacy concerns that had alarmed many, officials maintain that the original intention was to make a helpful security tool easily accessible to less tech-savvy citizens. For now, with downloads climbing rapidly on their own, the government says it sees no need to compel manufacturers to include the app by default.