Govt Withdraws Directive to Pre-Install Sanchar Saathi App

After directing mobile phone makers on December 1 to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on new devices, the Department of Telecommunications has now reversed course.

The government has withdrawn the mandatory pre-installation requirement.

Industry groups and privacy experts had raised concerns about the implications of shipping the app by default.

The government, however, framed the rollback differently, stating that “Given Sanchar Saathi’s increasing acceptance, the Government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers.”

Pre-installing an application operated by the government raised various concerns about surveillance or poor data safety management, even as several representatives of the ruling party clarified that this would not be the case. 

Besides, there was also a misunderstanding about whether users could uninstall the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi app. However, telecommunications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia clarified that users will be able to remove it at their will. 

Leading mobile phone manufacturer Apple reportedly declined to the directive that mandated pre-installation. 

The government describes the application as a tool for verifying IMEI numbers of mobile devices to detect spoofing, block stolen devices, report fraudulent messages or calls, and check all the numbers registered under a name, among other functions.

Since the app offers a wide range of functionalities, it seeks permission for the camera, file storage, phone call logs, messages, and more. 

Concerns were voiced about sections of society who would not be aware of how to disable these permissions when not necessary, or who would leave the app installed on their devices, creating room for potential data misuse.

It also claims that the app enabled the recovery of over 50,000 lost and stolen mobile handsets across India in October 2025, and that overall recoveries crossed 7 lakh devices. 

The post Govt Withdraws Directive to Pre-Install Sanchar Saathi App appeared first on Analytics India Magazine.