India’s Ministry of Telecommunications has reportedly asked major mobile device manufacturers to preload the government-backed cybersecurity app Sanchar Saathi on all new mobile phones within 90 days.
Reuters reports that the app cannot be removed or disabled from users’ devices.
Sanchar Saathi is available on the web and via mobile apps for Android and iOS, and allows users to report suspected scams, spam, and malicious web links through calls, SMS, or WhatsApp. Block your stolen phone. It also allows mobile subscribers to see the number of mobile connections made in their name.
One of its key features is the ability to report incoming international calls starting with the Indian country code (i.e. +91) to facilitate fraud.
“These international calls are received over the internet from foreign countries through illegal communication setups and sent to Indian citizens disguised as domestic calls,” the government said on its website. “Coverage about such calls helps the government take action against illegal communications exchanges that cause financial loss to the government’s treasury and pose a threat to national security.”
Together, our Android and iOS apps have been installed more than 11.4 million times, with the majority coming from the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Since its launch in May 2023, the service has blocked more than 4.2 million lost devices, tracked 2.6 million of them, and successfully recovered approximately 723,638 devices.
According to Reuters, the November 28, 2025 directive requires manufacturers to push apps through software updates to phones already in the supply chain. The app is said to be necessary to address threats facing communications cybersecurity, such as spoofed IMEI numbers used to facilitate fraud and network abuse.
Will it follow the same path as Russia’s MAX?
With this measure, India will join Russia and other countries in requiring a domestic messenger app called MAX to be pre-installed on all smartphones, tablets, computers, and smart TVs sold in the country from September 1, 2025. Critics claim the app was used to track users, but state media has dismissed these accusations as false.
Later, Russian authorities announced partial restrictions on voice and video calls on messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp to combat criminal activity, and state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor threatened to block WhatsApp completely if the messaging platform did not comply with Russian law.
The agency said WhatsApp was used not only to commit fraud and other crimes against Russian citizens, but also to organize and carry out terrorist activities and recruit perpetrators.
As of late October 2025, access to Telegram and WhatsApp is restricted in around 40% of Russia’s regions, according to data from the independent monitoring project Na Svyazi. Roskomnadzor said the restrictions were due to criminal acts such as fraud and extortion, as well as the involvement of Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities.
