Smartphone makers Apple and Google — which own the two most popular operating systems iOS and Android, respectively — are planning to push back on the government directive to mandatorily pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on their devices, with concerns around privacy and system security weighing heavy on their minds, The Indian Express has learnt.

Sanchar Saathi is a state-developed cybersecurity application and allows users to report fraudulent calls, messages, and stolen mobile phones.

Industry sources aware of the companies’ point of view said the phone-makers have no history or precedent of preloading state-owned applications to their devices anywhere in the world. The change poses operational challenges since it could require them to customise iOS and Android specifically for I

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