India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has privately asked smartphone makers to pre-load all new devices in India with its cyber safety app Sanchar Sati. Reuters.
The publication claims that starting on November 28, 2025, the order by the DOT gives smartphone brands a 90-day opportunity to ensure that all new mobile phones are pre-loaded with the Sanchar Sati (pronounced: Sun Chor Sao-thi) app, with the provision that users cannot disable it.
The order, meant to combat the rise in cybercrime and hacking, also requires phone makers to push the Sanchar Sati (translation: communication partner) app to devices sold in India through a software update.
Smartphone companies affected by the directive include Apple, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi.
The DOT has termed Sanchar Sati as a “citizen centric initiative” to “empower mobile users, strengthen their security and create awareness about controversial citizen initiatives of the government.” It is available on the web at www.sancharsaathi.gov.in and can also be downloaded by iPhone users from the App Store and Android users from the Play Store, where it has over 10 million downloads.
Sanchar Sati has more than 11 million registrations
Statistics shared by the ministry on the Sanchar Sati website revealed that the app has more than 11 million registrations, with Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra being the only Indian states with more than 1 million registrations at the time of writing.
Some of the notable services of Sanchar Sati include allowing users to track their lost/stolen mobile phones, verify the authenticity of their mobile handsets and check whether there are mobile connections in their name.
Data shared by DOT shows that lost/stolen mobile phones have been blocked, while more than 2.6 million mobiles have been traced with the help of Sanchar Sati.
Reuters The Indian government has reportedly said the Sanchar Sati app is necessary to counter the “serious threat” posed to telecom cybersecurity by duplicate or spoofed IMEI numbers, which enable fraud and network misuse.
It remains to be seen whether smartphone companies will comply with the DOT order and install Sanchar Sati on all their new devices or find a middle ground.
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