India Orders Mandatory Installation of Govt Cybersecurity App on All Smartphones
India has ordered all major smartphone manufacturers to preload the government-owned cyber safety app ‘Sanchar Saathi’ on every new device within 90 days, and users will not be able to delete it, according to a confidential telecom ministry order seen by Reuters. The directive applies to companies including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo, and requires that phones already in the supply chain receive the app via software updates.
The government says the app is crucial to tackle telecom cyber fraud, spoofed IMEI numbers and phone theft, claiming it has already helped recover over 700,000 lost devices and block 3.7 million fraudulent or stolen phones. The move is expected to spark pushback from privacy advocates and Apple, whose policies prohibit mandatory pre-installation of third-party or government apps. India is one of the largest phone markets with over 1.2 billion subscribers, and the decision could significantly impact smartphone makers and user privacy norms.
