The Indian government has issued a directive to manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all mobile phones in the Country. Here's what you need to know about it.
What's the Sanchar Saathi app? The word Sanchar has several definitions in Hindi, one of which means Communication. Saathi means friend, or companion.
Sanchar Saathi isn't a new app, it was released for Android and iOS in January 2025 by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). It was designed to curb the misuse of telecom resources for cyber frauds and help cybersecurity. It helps users report fraud communications, lost/ stolen mobile handsets, verify the authenticity of a mobile phone using the IMEI number, check the mobile connections that are in their name, view trusted contact details of banks/ financial institutions.
In a press note in September 2025, the DoT revealed that the app had been helpful in blocking over 37.28 lakh (3.728 million) stolen/lost mobile devices, and that it had been used to trace and recover over 22.76 lakh (2.276 million) devices from the Sanchar Saathi LIVE dashboard. It's basically India's version of Google's Find My Device, and Apple's Find My, these apps are pre-installed on Android mobile devices and iPhones respectively. I get frequent text messages from the Government about the app, and its uses. It's kind of annoying.
And now we come to what has happened. The DoT has issued directions to OEMs to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all mobile phones sold in India, including those that are manufactured locally or imported to India. The app needs to be readily visible and accessible during the device's set up. Its functionalities cannot be disabled or restricted. OEMs will need to push the app through software updates for existing devices in India.
The press release says that these rules will help "safeguard the citizens from buying the non-genuine handsets, enabling easy reporting of suspected misuse of telecom resources". You can read the press release here.
Now, I'd like to see how this works. There are millions of phones that don't receive software updates, and stuck on older versions of Android.
Many news outlets that have reported that the app collects a lot of data, and it's a huge privacy risk. Could it be used for surveillance? I fully agree that having a Government app on your phone does raise questions about user's privacy.
Let's take a look at the app's listing on the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store, both of them say that no data is collected.
Here's the app's privacy policy.
The following permissions are used on Android devices
- Make & Manage phone calls: To detect mobile numbers in your phone.
- Send SMS: To complete registration by sending the SMS to DoT on 14422.
- Call/SMS Logs: To report any Call/SMS in facilities offered by Sanchar Saathi App.
- Photos & files: To upload the image of Call/SMS while reporting Call/SMS or report lost/stolen mobile handset.
- Camera: While scanning the barcode of IMEI to check its genuineness.
And here are the permissions used on iPhones.
- Photos & files: To upload the image of Call/SMS while reporting Call/SMS or report lost/stolen mobile handset.
- Camera: While scanning the barcode of IMEI to check its genuineness.
The privacy policy also states that the app will not automatically capture any personal information from the user without notifying them. The data is also not shared with third-parties, except those that are required by law enforcement agencies. That's probably required to trace lost phones, which is likely why they don't want users to uninstall or remove or disable the app.
I think it's a mistake to have made the Sanchar Saathi app mandatory on all devices. If the app is useful, people should be given the choice whether to install it or not.
Is it surprising? Age verification has become mandatory in many Countries. European nations want to implement Chat Control, which is basically a backdoor that lets Governments access your messages, photos, etc. to combat CSAM. What next?
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