India's Telecom Ministry has issued an order that all new smartphones sold in India must come pre-installed with a government-developed cybersecurity app called Sanchar Saathi.
For phones already on sale or in users' hands, makers will have to push the app through software updates.
Most important thing is that - once installed, users cannot disable or uninstall the app.
The Sanchar Saathi app is meant to tackle telecom-related cyber-threats: it enables users to report suspicious calls, verify IMEI numbers and block lost or stolen devices via a central registry.
Since its launch in January with more than 5 million downloads, the app has blocked over 3.7 million lost or stolen phones and terminated over 30 million fraudulent connections, contributing to cyber threat prevention and helping the police track stolen devices.
According to government data, since its launch, the app has already helped people to recover over 700,000 lost phones including 50,000 in October alone.
The order was issued on 28th November 2025.
Smartphone makers have only a 90-day window to ensure that all new devices coming after this period are preloaded with Sanchar Saathi.
Overall, the government's aim is to boost cyber safety, reduce scams, misuse of networks and combat the black market for counterfeit and stolen phones by making this cybersecurity app universally available on new smartphones sold in India.
CAclubindia
