Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:27pm on 01 Dec 2025,Monday Tech Today
India's telecom ministry has privately ordered major smartphone manufacturers to preload the government's 'Sanchar Saathi' cybersecurity app on all new devices within 90 days, making it non-deletable for users. The November 28 directive affects Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi, requiring existing devices receive the app via software updates. The government justifies the mandate as essential for combating telecom cyber threats from duplicate IMEI numbers enabling scams. Since launching in January, the app has recovered over 700,000 lost phones and blocked 3.7 million stolen devices across India's 1.2 billion subscriber market. Apple, which historically refuses government app pre-installations, faces a significant policy conflict given its 4.5% Indian smartphone market share. (PC: Reuters)
