India’s Sanchar Saathi Mandate Reshapes Device Policy

India’s directive on Sanchar Saathi, issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on 28 November 2025, instructs device manufacturers to embed the state-owned application into all smartphones sold in the country. The requirement specifies system-level integration that prevents the user from removing it. The order is issued under the Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules, 2024 and the Telecommunications Act, 2023.

The government presents the mandate as a response to fraud, identity theft and the scale of IMEI cloning across the device market.

The DoT argues that a hardware-integrated method gives the state visibility into device identifiers and allows automated checks that a voluntary portal cannot provide on a national scale.

Government records attribute recovered or blocked devices and mobile connections to the Sanchar Saathi ecosystem and associated modules, including the Central Equipment Identity Register.

Civil liberties groups frame the directive differently. The Internet Freedom Foundation states that the order “converts every smartphone sold in India into a vessel for state-mandated software that the user cannot meaningfully refuse, control, or remove”.

The group raises concerns about the escalation of features through updates under a broad definition of security incidents in the rules.

Political responses include criticism that connects the mandate to earlier debates about surveillance. K.C. Venugopal, an Indian MP, says: “A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian.

"It is a means of watching over every movement, interaction and decision of each citizen. Big Brother cannot watch us.”

Indian politician Priyanka Gandhi Vadra refers to earlier spyware allegations and calls the application a “snooping app”, stating: “They are turning this country into a dictatorship in every form.”

Shashi Tharoor, also an Indian politician, says: “Making anything compulsory in a democracy is troubling,” and encourages the government to adopt a voluntary approach.

Device manufacturers assess Sanchar Saathi technical impact

Original equipment manufacturers receive instructions requiring the app to be visible on first boot, to be non-removable and to be compatible with devices already in the distribution chain.

The requirement to push updates to sealed inventory creates operational demands across warehousing and retail.

Apple views the order as incompatible with its software model. According to industry accounts cited in the source material, Apple sees the directive as a breach of its global security architecture and a risk to its approach to pre-installed software.

Sources report that Apple “does not plan to comply” and assesses that implementation could set a precedent for other jurisdictions. 

Android manufacturers evaluate the timeline imposed by the DoT. Firmware modification, testing and certification cycles exceed the 90-day compliance window. The need to update unboxed units intensifies the strain across supply chains.

The India Cellular and Electronics Association raises these concerns to the ministry, noting the gap between the directive and operational feasibility.

Government statements shift Sanchar Saathi policy signals

On 2 December 2025, Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that the app is optional. 

He said: “The app is completely optional. If you want to delete it, you can. If you don’t wish to register, you shouldn’t register and can remove it anytime… Keeping it in their devices or not is up to the user.”

His comment contradicts the written order, which specifies that functionalities must not be disabled or restricted.

It creates uncertainty for manufacturers, who must follow the written notification until a formal amendment appears. Analysts note that the verbal clarification may reduce political pressure while leaving the initial directive intact.

The result is a scenario in which manufacturers must pre-install the application, but users may be told they can remove it, producing tension between legal text and political communication.

Telecom cybersecurity rules underpin Sanchar Saathi enforcement

The Telecommunications Act, 2023 and the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024, form the legal basis for the directive. The rules define security incidents broadly, enabling the DoT to treat IMEI manipulation or irregular subscriber activity as threats to telecom cybersecurity.

The Sanchar Saathi app functions as a device-level sensor that links with backend systems, including the Digital Intelligence Unit and ASTR. The systems correlate subscriber data, device identifiers and fraud reports to monitor irregular patterns.

The DoT cites the scale of subscriber activity in India to justify the mandate. The ministry points to blocked connections, recovered devices and the number of spoofed international calls intercepted by the system.

According to government data cited in the source material, voluntary adoption of the application has reached around 5 million downloads, which the DoT considers insufficient for a population of over 1 billion devices.

The policy, therefore, reflects a shift from network-level monitoring to endpoint-level integration. It further introduces a compliance burden for the smartphone sector, which must navigate regulatory text, political statements and user expectations while maintaining established security and software frameworks.