Sanchar Saathi app can be deleted, says govt; OEMs still reluctant

Apple, other global device makers not on board; India's Lava to comply

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Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday sought to allay mounting concerns around the government’s Sanchar Saathi app, saying users will be free to delete it and insisting there will be no surveillance or monitoring of devices. His comments came even as global handset makers, including Apple Inc, are learnt to have told the government they will not implement the directive on installing the app, despite the Centre’s revised stance.

 

“Sanchar Saathi is not surveillance, it is a citizen safety tool rooted in jan bhaagidaari (public participation),” Scindia said in a statement, adding that digital security remains the government’s top priority. He reiterated that “Sanchar Saathi is voluntary, transparent, and designed solely to protect India’s mobile consumers while advancing the nation’s cybersecurity. Users have complete freedom to activate or delete the app at any time, ensuring safety without compromising privacy.” 

The minister said the app activates only after users register and may be deactivated anytime thereafter. 

The clarification followed the Department of Telecom’s (DoT’s) AI and Intelligence unit issuing public instructions that mandated smartphone makers, including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, to pre-load the app on devices before sale, and “endeavour to push the app” to units already manufactured and sitting in sales channels through software updates.

 

The directive, issued November 28 and reiterated by the DoT on Monday under the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024, also required that the pre-loaded app not be deletable. On Tuesday, the DoT further stated on X that the app “will come pre-installed, but that will not mean it’s watching you. It will not act as a surveillance tool, and it will not track your data in any way. Its only job will be to protect your mobile identity without accessing your personal information.”

 

However, as of Tuesday evening the DoT had not amended the directions to handset makers on pre-installation, meaning original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) would technically still be required to comply within 90 days.

 

According to people familiar with the matter, Apple along with other device makers, have told the government informally that they are unlikely to comply, arguing that the requirement entails firmware- and operating-system-level changes that are difficult to execute solely for India.

 

“One of the device makers said that it will be difficult for them to make these changes for one country, as it involves significant costs, which they do not wish to pass on to the consumer,” said a person who attended the informal meetings. A second person said some Indian device makers are likely to comply, but global manufacturers are not and may pursue legal remedies if compelled to file compliance reports.

 

The sources added that Apple cited privacy and security concerns and said it has not undertaken similar compliance anywhere globally. Executives at Samsung, Xiaomi and others said they were reviewing the orders but may flag higher compliance-related costs that could be passed on to consumers. Emails sent to Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi and others drew no response at the time of going to press.

 

One of the sources said Samsung has not sent any official response to the DoT or other government bodies but is reviewing the November 28 directive and studying its implications.

 

Local device maker Lava International, on the other hand, said it would comply. “User security is our top priority, and Lava wholeheartedly supports every initiative that strengthens it. From day one, consumer safety has been at the very heart of everything we do and this commitment is clearly reflected in our strict zero-bloatware policy. We will fully comply with the new guidelines, firmly believing that they will play a key role in reducing cyber fraud and data breaches, while fostering greater trust and transparency for users,” said Sunil Raina, managing director, Lava International Ltd.

 

Union Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani told PTI on Tuesday evening that before the directive was issued, the government had formed a working group of original equipment makers to raise concerns, where Apple did not participate.

 

The directive triggered political uproar, including inside Parliament, and a wave of criticism on social media, as policy and legal experts warned that the rules effectively granted the government access to more than 700 million smartphones. They said the move risked violating India’s Digital Personal Data Protection law and adding to the bloatware problem on devices.

 

“The press notes and notifications should specify it (app being removable). In any case, every tech decision toggles between mandatory voluntary in India making it impossible to have user autonomy. This legitimised government in your phone and life framework without any safeguards, violating consent, purpose limitation and data minimisation,” said Mishi Choudhary, founder of SFLC.in, a legal services organisation representing developers of free software or open source software. 

 

She added that pre-installed apps required broad permissions and therefore carried heightened security risks, undermining user consent and meaningful choice, contrary to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and its rules. She, however, added: “We think Apple will reach a compromise.”

 

Kazim Rizvi, founder of tech policy think tank The Dialogue, said:  “It is important to seek clarity on clause 7(b), particularly whether any system-level behaviour is expected, and how the app behaves after deletion. Smartphone manufacturers have indicated that implementing the directive may require OS-level adjustments, underscoring the importance of technical transparency.”

 

Sumeysh Srivastava, partner at public policy advisory firm The Quantum Hub, said compulsory pre-installation was neither proportionate nor justified and set a risky precedent. “Beyond limited utility, there are serious privacy concerns about a government app with access to call logs and SMS messages on every citizen's device,” he said.

 

Opposition party lawmakers have asked the government to withdraw the directive altogether, arguing that pre-installed apps cannot meaningfully be considered “optional” and raising questions about potential background data collection. “If the application is genuinely voluntary in character and operation, there exists no justification whatsoever for embedding it into every new device at the preloaded stage,” Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas wrote to Scindia in a letter posted on X. The CPI(M) leader also asked the government to reconsider and withdraw both the compulsory Sanchar Saathi pre-installation mandate and last month’s SIM-to-device binding directives issued to OTT players such as WhatsApp and Telegram. 

About the app 

What it offers 

Sanchar Saathi is positioned as a citizen-safety tool. It allows users to block and track lost or stolen phones via their IMEI, review all mobile connections registered under their name to spot fraudulent numbers, report suspected scam calls, and verify used devices before purchase. 

The new mandate 

The telecom ministry has ordered smartphone makers to preload the app on all new devices, requiring it to be “visible, functional and enabled” at first setup. Companies have also been told to push the app to already-manufactured devices through software updates. 

In numbers 

The government says the app has over 10 million downloads, has helped block more than 4.2 million lost or stolen phones, and led to the termination of over 30 million fraudulent mobile connections. 

Data collection 

The government says the app collects no personal data without user notification. Its privacy policy requires permissions: on iPhones for camera, photos and files; on Android for call logs, registration messages, making and managing calls to detect numbers, and camera and photo access.