What Is Sanchar Saathi App? Why Telecom Ministry Mandates Pre-Installation on Every Phone — Explained

The DoT directs preinstallation of the Sanchar Saathi app on all new and imported devices, aiming to curb fraud and track lost phones. The move has sparked privacy concerns and political resistance, with industry players highlighting compliance timelines and potential user rights implications.

The Union government has asked all mobile manufacturers and importers to preinstall the Sanchar Saathi app, triggering a political confrontation. Officials argue the measure will reduce cyber fraud and help track lost phones. Opposition parties describe the direction as mass surveillance and seek its withdrawal, turning a technical compliance order into a larger rights and privacy dispute.

The Department of Telecommunications has ordered every new handset made or imported after 28 November to carry Sanchar Saathi. The directive, sent to all original equipment manufacturers and importers, demands the app be visible during first setup and fully functional. Companies must also install it on existing unsold inventory through software updates or face unspecified action.

Political debate and privacy concerns over Sanchar Saathi app

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal called the instruction “beyond unconstitutional” and linked it to privacy rights. On X, Venugopal posted: "Big Brother cannot watch us. The Right to Privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution," arguing the measure conflicts with the Supreme Court’s privacy judgement.

Venugopal further warned that forced installation of a non-removable government tool could normalise surveillance. He wrote, "A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian. It is a means to watch over every movement, interaction and decision of each citizen. We reject this Direction and demand an immediate rollback," pressing for the order’s cancellation.

Government rationale and features of Sanchar Saathi app

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the directive as "another BIG BOSS surveillance moment". Chaturvedi said, "Such shady ways to get into individual phones will be protested and opposed & if the IT Ministry thinks that instead of creating robust redressal systems it will create surveillance systems then it should be ready for a pushback," signalling coordinated opposition resistance.

The Department of Telecommunications, under Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, presents Sanchar Saathi as a citizen protection tool. The portal, launched in May 2023, lets users report and block lost or stolen phones and flag malicious web links. It also allows people to see how many mobile connections exist in their name and to verify trusted contact information of banks and financial institutions.

Sanchar Saathi combines several services, including the Chakshu facility for fraud alerts. "Such proactive reporting of suspected fraud communication helps (the) Department of Telecommunications in (the) prevention of misuse of telecom resources for cyber-crime, financial frauds etc", Chakshu said. Chakshu also accepts complaints about commercial spam calls, phishing links, device cloning attempts and malware delivered through SMS, RCS, iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram.

Usage statistics and performance of Sanchar Saathi app

A senior DoT official earlier told that the mobile platform simplifies fraud reporting. "Right now, reporting time varies because users have to go to the website to report fraud or stolen mobile phones," the official said. The same official added the portal is "advanced enough" so users do not need to remember or type their IMEI number when raising complaints through the app.

The app offers additional checks, such as confirming whether a handset is genuine and listing all SIM connections issued in a person’s name. Users can report suspicious communication, including international calls that display Indian numbers, without any one-time password verification. Officials say this flow is designed to avoid delays and lower barriers to flagging fraud attempts or spam activity.

According to government data on the Sanchar Saathi website, the initiative has processed large volumes of cases and requests. The portal has blocked more than 42.14 lakh mobiles and helped trace over 26.11 lakh lost or stolen handsets. It has also handled several crore queries from users trying to understand how many mobile connections are linked to their identity documents.

The Sanchar Saathi app has surpassed 1 crore Android downloads and nearly 10 lakh iOS downloads. Combined registrations exceed 1.14 crore, reflecting growing adoption. Officials argue this uptake, along with more than 288 lakh connection-check requests and 254 lakh resolutions, shows strong demand for centralised tools against telecom-linked fraud.

Compliance challenges and industry response to Sanchar Saathi app

For devices already produced and present in sales channels, the government wants Sanchar Saathi pushed via software updates. The DoT said the step aims to "safeguard the citizens from buying the non-genuine handsets, enabling easy reporting of suspected misuse of telecom resources and to increase effectiveness of the Sanchar Saathi initiative". Officials frame the mandate as consumer protection rather than surveillance.

Original equipment manufacturers, including Apple, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Samsung, have 90 days to meet the requirement. A compliance report is due within 120 days. The directive, issued on Monday and updated in public reports on 02 December 2025 at 05:55 am IST, applies to all phones made for sale in India or imported into the domestic market.

The written order asks companies to "Ensure that the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi application is readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup and that its functionalities are not disabled or restricted," closing options to hide or limit the tool. This condition has drawn particular criticism from opposition leaders, who object to making the app non-removable.

A Reuters report suggests the Sanchar Saathi app mandate could lead to friction with Apple, which has opposed similar preinstallation orders previously on privacy and security grounds. Reuters said Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi did not respond to questions, and the Communications Ministry also stayed silent. Two industry sources, speaking anonymously, added that manufacturers were not consulted before the directive was issued.

Sanchar Saathi and its Chakshu feature continue to operate while the political and industry debate evolves. The portal allows citizens to lock stolen phones, report cyber fraud attempts and receive clarity on mobile connections registered in their name. As parties clash over surveillance risks, the data shows the platform has already blocked lakhs of devices and processed crores of fraud-related queries across India.