On December 3, 2025, the central government revoked a recent directive from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that mandated all mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on their devices to be sold in India. The move comes after intense pushback from the public, internet activists, the Opposition and even major manufacturers like Apple over privacy concerns and ‘surveillance attempts’.

What is Sanchar Saathi?

Launched in 2023 by the DoT, Sanchar Saathi is a portal/mobile app. A dedicated app version was released in January 2025. The app lets users report lost or stolen phones and block them; report suspected scam calls/SMS or suspicious mobile activity; check how many mobile connections are registered to their name; and verify if a handset is genuine (

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