Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia speaks in the Lok Sabha
The government on Wednesday decided not to make the pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi app mandatory for mobile manufacturers.
The Ministry of Communications in a statement said, “The government with an intent to provide access to cyber security to all citizens had mandated pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi app on all smartphones. The app is secure and purely meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyber world… Given Sanchar Saathi’s increasing acceptance, government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers.”
The statement also added that so far 1.4 crore users have downloaded this app and are contributing to information on 2,000 fraud incidents per day. The number of users has been increasing rapidly and the mandate to install the app was meant to accelerate this process and make the app available to less aware citizens easily. Just in last one day, 6-lakh citizens have registered for downloading the app which is a 10x increase in its uptake.
Meanwhile, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Parliament that depending on the feedback, the Ministry of Telecommunications is ready to make changes to the order on the installation of the app on mobile handsets.
“Neither snooping is possible, nor snooping will happen through Sanchar Saathi app,” Scindia said in response to Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda’s supplementary question regarding snooping concerns related to the app.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on November 28 had directed all the mobile handset manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and others, mandating pre-installing the Sanchar Saathi app in all the mobile devices to be sold or imported in India, as well as in existing devices through software update, which has triggered a row.
Tech analysts and Internet freedom organisations have raised concerns about potential snooping and the possibility that the app could be used to read messages users exchange.
Mishi Choudhary, Founder, SFLC.in, said, “This is a welcome move but arbitrary policy decisions without any analysis of what effectively works to curb frauds is concerning. The government has no business being in citizens lives and their phones.”
Rolled back
She also added that while this may have been rolled back, SIM-binding mandate is still a major concern that will make citizens lives harder.
However, asserting that the app is for people’s protection, Scindia said the government wants to give consumers choices and added that if a consumer has not been registered on the app, the app will not be operational, and one can also delete it.
He also informed parliament that there have been around 1.5 crore app downloads since the launch of the app earlier this year.
With the portal and the app, 26 lakh stolen handsets have been traced, 7 lakh returned to consumers, 41 lakh mobile connections disconnected, and 6 lakh frauds blocked, he added.
Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), said that the industry welcomes the government’s decision to withdraw the earlier mandatory requirement and to remove the mandatory cap associated with the Sanchar Saathi app, while maintaining a strong focus on combating cybersecurity frauds.
Pragmatic policy
ICEA, which represents mobile manufacturers like Apple, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi also said that this reflects a balanced and pragmatic policy approach that protects consumers while ensuring smooth and effective implementation by the industry.
The industry body also indicated that the government should also consult the industry before sending such directives.
“This decision also reaffirms the importance of comprehensive stakeholder consultations to ensure that future digital security policies are inclusive, technically robust and aligned with on-ground realities,” Mohindroo said.
He said as India’s digital and electronics landscape expands, a collective responsibility grows even stronger.
“ICEA strongly supports initiatives that enhance cybersecurity. At the same time, such measures are most effective when they avoid imposing mandatory obligations on users and industry, encouraging adoption through clarity, practicality and confidence-building,” Mohindroo added.
Published on December 3, 2025