The government has withdrawn its December 1 mandate requiring smartphone manufacturers to ship all new devices with the Sanchar Saathi application pre-installed, following strong pushback from industry bodies and privacy advocates. Although officials have presented the reversal as a reaction to rising voluntary usage of the app, the move comes after weeks of scrutiny over default installation practices, data access, and user autonomy. Throughout the discussion, telecommunications minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia reiterated that removing the app “would remain fully under user control,” emphasising that no mandatory retention would be imposed.
The original directive quickly sparked concerns across the tech and civil society ecosystem. Sanchar Saathi requests multiple sensitive permissions—including access to camera, file storage, call logs and messages—raising questions about how easily users, especially those less digitally literate, could understand or disable these settings. Critics warned that such permissions might unintentionally expose users to privacy risks simply because they were unaware of what the app accessed or how to manage those permissions. The debate also highlighted a broader issue: that large segments of the population might keep the app installed by default without fully grasping the implications of doing so.
Industry reactions further shaped the conversation. Reports suggested that Apple declined to comply with the pre-installation requirement, drawing attention to the complexity of enforcing platform-specific mandates and how such directives intersect with long-standing debates on ecosystem control, user consent, and transparency. What began as a single policy measure rapidly evolved into a much wider discussion on trust in digital governance and the responsibilities of both manufacturers and regulators.
Despite the rollback, Sanchar Saathi remains a significant component of India’s digital safety infrastructure. The platform enables users to verify IMEI numbers, identify spoofed devices, block stolen phones, and report fraudulent calls or messages. Government figures indicate strong operational impact, with more than 50,000 devices reportedly recovered in October 2025 alone and cumulative recoveries surpassing 7 lakh. These numbers continue to serve as the primary justification for the app’s central role in national telecom security efforts.
The episode ultimately illustrates how digital policy shifts in response to a blend of user awareness, industry feedback, and measurable outcomes. As India expands its digital governance frameworks, the Sanchar Saathi debate underscores the importance of balancing security innovation with transparent, user-first design principles.
