It is official. Hours after a news report surfaced about a secret memo to phone companies, the government has now confirmed that it wants Sanchar Saathi app installed on all phones in India. This is mandatory and the users will not be able to delete or disable the app. What is Sanchar Saathi? We explain.
First there was a secret memo to phone companies. This, obviously got leaked and Reuters reported on it. Now, there is an official confirmation. Indian government, through a PIB press note, has officially confirmed that it has asked phone companies in India to install Sanchar Saathi app in all phones sold in India. This app is not only supposed to be in all new phones, but the government also wants it pushed to all old phones through software update.
The move comes just days after report surfaced that the government also wants SIM Binding to be done in WhatsApp in other messaging apps.
The two moves are controversial because irrespective of what the government says they also seem to opening a window into a personal device like phone through which the government can monitor their usage.
So what is going on and what exactly is the Sanchar Saathi app? We explain.
The press note by the government, issued late night on Monday, makes it clear: The government wants Sanchar Saathi app on all phones in India. No ifs and buts.
Here is what it tells phone companies: "Ensure that the Sanchar Saathi mobile application is pre-installed on all mobile handsets manufactured or imported for use in India.
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."
In other words not only the app needs to be installed, it must also stay installed and active. The government says that this needs to be done within 90 days, that is three months, and compliance report needs to be submitted by companies like Apple, Samsung, Vivo etc within 120 days.
Again, currently we need to go by what the government is saying. In its mandate, the ministry has reportedly linked the move to a rise in telecom-related cyber threats, especially duplicate or spoofed IMEI numbers.
The PIB note says, "In order 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, the DoT has issued (these) directions."
The Indian government is positioning the Sanchar Saathi app as a protective layer that will help users file complaints, and allow the government and telecom operators to quickly block stolen phones, trace device misuse and clean up fraudulent mobile connections.
So, what exactly is Sanchar Saathi app? Well this is a government-developed mobile security platform and app launched earlier this year. The app supposedly allows users to:
- Block lost or stolen phones across all networks
- Verify IMEI authenticity to check if a phone is genuine
- See how many mobile numbers are linked to their ID
- Report suspicious calls or communication
- Assist police in tracking stolen devices
But at the same time there is a concern as well. Because the app store notes show that Sanchar Saathi can demand a lot of data from the phone, including access to call logs, messages, camera access to record videos and photos, as well as access to various phone states including network.
Once installed, the Sanchar Saathi app connects a user's device IMEI with CEIR, which is a central database that records every legitimate mobile phone in India.
If a phone is stolen or lost, users can file a block request through the app. CEIR then immediately restricts the IMEI across all networks, making the device unusable even if the SIM is changed.
The app also helps users identify active mobile connections issued in their name, alerting them to unauthorised SIMs. Another key feature is IMEI verification, which confirms whether a phone's identity has been tampered with. This will help in preventing counterfeit and black-market devices.
According to government data, the system has already helped recover over 700,000 lost phones, block more than 3.7 million stolen devices, and terminate 30 million fraudulent mobile connections.
While the government is pushing its app as a helpful tool for phone users, that is not how Indian users are taking it. If we go by the social media chatter, it is clear that the move has unnerved phone users in India. One reason is that usually authoritarian governments, like those in Russia and China, tend to push mandatory apps on the phone users in their countries. That India is doing something same is concerning to a lot of users.
Also, people are worried about the nature of this Sanchar Saathi push. Instead of being a tool that can be used, or not used at the convenience of a user, the Indian government is making it mandatory. And not just mandatory but also something that cannot be disabled or deleted. This makes the app a potential window into the phone that can be used by government, or any organisation or person with access to this apps infrastructure, to monitor phones in various ways.
For example, Tehseen Poonawala wrote on X, "Outrageous! Wake up INDIA! The Govt's Sanchar Saathi app mandate is a blatant assault on our privacy & freedom! By forcing it pre-installed on every new phone, not allowing us to uninstall the aap, all under the guise of 'safety', the government will potentially have the power to spy on our calls, texts & location. This is surveillance at its worst, & the government will have the power to track us like criminals! We need to fight this."