India’s smartphone makers are bracing for widespread disruption after the government ordered compulsory pre-loading of its Sanchar Saathi fraud-reporting app on all new devices — a directive industry executives say will strain production lines, raise compliance costs and undermine consumer choice.
The sweeping rule, which applies to both domestically manufactured and imported phones, marks the first such mandatory app bundling across the entire handset market and is expected to trigger pushback from global brands operating in India.
In a significant escalation of its digital security push, the telecoms ministry has ordered handset makers to pre-install its fraud-reporting app Sanchar Saathi on every new mobile device sold in India over the next 90 days. The directive — unprecedented in its scope — applies uniformly to all brands, whether their phones are manufactured locally or imported, making it the first compulsory bundling of a consumer app across the entire smartphone sector.
The move lands at a time when nearly every major global brand, including Apple, Samsung, Google, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi, now manufactures devices in India. Industry executives say the order will have wide operational implications for factories, supply chains and software integration protocols.
Manufacturers contend that the mandate imposes an “avoidable burden” on an industry already dealing with heavy compliance requirements, higher component costs and thin margins. Several representatives argued that forcing companies to embed a government-backed app effectively turns them into enforcement agents for policy goals better served through user education.
They said consumer trust in apps such as Sanchar Saathi would grow more organically through outreach rather than mandatory installation, adding that users should retain control over their device experience.
The order, issued on 28 November, requires all manufacturers and importers to ship phones with Sanchar Saathi already installed — and without any option for users to disable its core functions. Firms must also ensure the app is prominently displayed during the initial setup process so that it cannot be overlooked.
For devices already produced and lying in warehouses or retail channels, the DoT has instructed manufacturers to push software updates to add the app retroactively. Companies must file compliance reports within 120 days.
Positioned as a consumer-protection tool, Sanchar Saathi helps users verify IMEI authenticity, detect potential SIM or device misuse and report lost or stolen handsets. Tampering with a device’s 15-digit IMEI number is a non-bailable offence that carries penalties of up to three years’ imprisonment, fines of up to Rs 50 lakh or both.
Users can also report fraudulent calls and cyber-enabled scams directly through the app, with the data fed into centralised systems used by law enforcement agencies. The government’s push for universal deployment is seen as part of a broader effort to tackle rising telecom fraud and identity theft.
The order follows last week’s directive imposing new authentication requirements on WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and other messaging platforms. These apps must now maintain a persistent link to a user’s active SIM card, with web versions required to automatically log out at least once every six hours, triggering mandatory QR-code re-authentication. Like handset makers, these platforms have been given 120 days to submit compliance documentation to the DoT.
