India has joined a small group of countries mandating pre-installed government applications on smartphones.
Apple’s manufacturing operations in India now account for more than 14% of the company’s global iPhone production, but the government’s new directive could run the company out of the market, resulting in the loss of both a major customer base and a key manufacturing hub.
India’s mandatory app
India’s government now reportedly requires all smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a state-owned cybersecurity app on new devices. The order was issued on November 28 and gives companies 90 days to ensure the Sanchar Saathi app comes pre-loaded on all new phones, with no option for users to remove it.
Major smartphone manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi, which together account for most of India’s smartphone market of over 1.2 billion subscribers, are expected to comply.
For devices already in the supply chain, manufacturers must push the app to phones through software updates.
The government is insistent on the app because it is needed to combat what it describes as serious threats to telecom cybersecurity. These threats include duplicate or fake IMEI numbers that enable scams and network misuse. The IMEI is a unique identification number assigned to every mobile phone that can be used to block stolen devices from accessing networks.
The directive has so far faced pushback from privacy advocates and technology companies. Technology lawyer Mishi Choudhary stated that the government’s decision effectively removes user consent as a meaningful choice.
Choudhary pointed out that similar concerns were raised when Russia mandated pre-installation of the state-backed Max messenger app in August.
Apple’s internal policies explicitly prohibit installing any government or third-party applications before a smartphone reaches consumers. The company is responsible for roughly 4.5% of India’s 735 million smartphones, with Android devices making up the rest.
Apple also clashed with Indian regulators over government apps in 2017 when it delayed implementing an anti-spam app due to concerns about sending call log data to Indian authorities.
The Sanchar Saathi app
The Sanchar Saathi app was launched in January and serves multiple cybersecurity functions. Firstly, it allows users to track and block lost or stolen smartphones across all telecom networks using a central registry. Users can also identify and disconnect fraudulent mobile connections through the platform.
Since its launch, the app has been downloaded more than 5 million times and has helped recover over 700,000 lost phones, including 50,000 in October alone. Government data shows the app has blocked more than 3.7 million stolen or lost mobile phones and terminated over 30 million fraudulent connections.
Also on November 28, the Department of Telecommunications issued separate orders requiring messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Snapchat, ShareChat, JioChat, and others, to maintain continuous binding to active SIM cards.
The government says this feature is being misused from outside the country to commit cyber fraud. The government argues that requiring continuous SIM verification will make it harder for criminals to operate fake accounts remotely, as every session will require an active and verified SIM card.
The messaging app order means that these services will only work if the SIM card remains present and active in the device. For web-based versions, users will be automatically logged out every six hours and must re-authenticate through QR code pairing.
These platforms have been classified as Telecommunication Identifier User Entities under new regulations and must comply within 90 days.
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