The Indian government has revoked its order requiring smartphone manufacturers to preload the state-run Sanchar Saathi cyber safety app on all new devices sold in the country after a wave of criticism over privacy and surveillance concerns. The reversal followed a sharp political backlash, with the main opposition party branding the mandate a breach of privacy and warning it could open the door to intrusive monitoring of citizens. Apple had already signaled plans to resist the order, underscoring the growing tension between global tech firms and India’s increasingly assertive digital regulations.
Background on the Sanchar Saathi Mandate
Indian authorities initially framed the directive to preload the Sanchar Saathi cyber safety app on every new smartphone as a core plank of a national cybersecurity push, presenting it as a way to harden devices against fraud and digital crime. The order required handset makers to integrate the software at the factory level so that buyers would receive phones with the state-run tool already installed and active from first boot, turning Sanchar Saathi into a default layer of protection across the market. Officials argued that a uniform baseline of security would help curb scams, identity theft and other cyber threats that have accompanied India’s rapid shift to mobile-first internet use.
The app itself, described in detail in an explainer on India’s politically contentious Sanchar Saathi cyber safety app, is designed to monitor for cyber threats, track device identifiers and support tools such as blocking lost or stolen phones. Those capabilities, while pitched as consumer safeguards, quickly became politically charged because they are operated through a state-run platform that can interface with telecom and law enforcement systems. Critics argued that embedding such a tool by default on every new device blurred the line between cybersecurity and state surveillance, especially in a country where debates over data protection and government access to personal information are already intense.
Outcry from Opposition and Privacy Advocates
The main opposition party seized on the preload requirement as soon as it became public, telling reporters that the cyber safety app mandate amounted to a direct breach of privacy and could enable government surveillance at scale. According to a detailed account of how the India cyber safety app mandate was labeled a breach of privacy by the main opposition party, party leaders warned that forcing citizens to carry a state-controlled monitoring tool on their personal devices undermined constitutional protections and democratic norms. They argued that any security benefits were outweighed by the risk that authorities could use the app’s access to device data to track political activity, journalists or dissenting voices.
Privacy advocates and digital rights experts echoed those concerns, focusing on the data security risks created by mandatory preloading of the Sanchar Saathi app and the absence of meaningful user consent. Civil society groups questioned how long data would be retained, which agencies could access it and what safeguards existed against misuse, especially in the context of India’s broader digital ecosystem where oversight of state surveillance remains limited. The political contention escalated as commentators framed Sanchar Saathi as a potential tool for overreach, warning that normalizing such preinstalled state software could set a precedent for deeper intrusion into encrypted messaging, location tracking and other sensitive areas of smartphone use.
Tech Industry Resistance and Apple’s Stance
Even before the government backed down, the tech industry had begun to push back against the preload requirement, arguing that it conflicted with established product design and user choice principles. Apple, which tightly controls what software ships on its devices, emerged as a central player in that resistance, with company executives indicating that they intended to resist the order on both technical and policy grounds. Reporting on how Apple planned to resist the India order to preload the state-run app as political outcry built highlighted the company’s concerns about compatibility with iOS, the integrity of its security architecture and the expectation that users should decide which apps to install on their iPhones.
Other smartphone makers, including major Android manufacturers, were also swept up in the mandate, since the directive applied to all devices sold in India regardless of brand or operating system. Companies that had already begun planning compliance faced the prospect of reconfiguring production lines, updating software images and coordinating with the authorities to certify that Sanchar Saathi was correctly integrated, all of which carried cost and logistical implications. Industry representatives warned that such top-down requirements could slow product launches, fragment the user experience and deter investment in India’s handset manufacturing sector, adding to the pressure on policymakers to reconsider the state-run security app order.
Government Revocation and Immediate Aftermath
As political criticism intensified and resistance from major tech firms hardened, the Indian government ultimately decided to revoke the order that had required preloading of the cybersecurity app on new smartphones. Officials communicated that the mandate would no longer be enforced, effectively restoring the status quo in which Sanchar Saathi is available but not compulsory, a shift that was detailed in coverage of how the India state-run security app order for smartphones was revoked after outcry. The reversal signaled that, at least in this instance, policymakers were willing to recalibrate when confronted with a combination of political backlash, civil society alarm and pushback from some of the world’s most influential technology companies.
The decision to walk back the preload requirement on December 3, 2025, marked a notable shift from the government’s earlier insistence on strict enforcement and suggested a more cautious approach to future cybersecurity mandates. Sanchar Saathi remains an optional tool that users can choose to install, which may ease immediate concerns about forced surveillance but leaves open deeper questions about how India will balance digital security with privacy rights in the long term. For smartphone makers and app developers, the episode underscores the need to anticipate regulatory swings in one of the world’s largest mobile markets, while for Indian consumers it highlights how quickly the rules governing their devices can change when politics, technology and civil liberties collide.
