The Union government has withdrawn its recent directive that required all smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi cybersecurity app on new mobile phones. The move reverses the order issued just days earlier, which had mandated the app’s presence on all devices sold in the country.
According to the revised communication, the government stated that the mandatory clause was being removed because users across India were already downloading the app voluntarily in large numbers. Over 1.4 crore downloads have been recorded so far, and officials said the platform is helping citizens report nearly 2,000 cyber-fraud incidents every day. Given this level of adoption, the Centre noted that compulsory installation was no longer necessary.
The withdrawal comes after strong criticism from privacy advocates, civil-liberties groups, and sections of the technology industry, including several major smartphone makers who had expressed concern about a government-mandated application on consumer devices.
With the reversal, Sanchar Saathi will remain fully optional. Users can choose to download, use or uninstall the app freely, and mobile manufacturers will not be required to pre-load it on their handsets going forward.