India orders all new phones to come with Sanchar Saathi app
India now requires every new smartphone—yes, even iPhones and Samsungs—to come with the Sanchar Saathi app pre-installed, and you can't delete it.
The government hopes this move will help fight telecom fraud and phone theft among the country's huge user base.
What does Sanchar Saathi actually do?
Launched in January 2025, Sanchar Saathi lets you check your phone's IMEI, report shady calls or messages, and block lost or stolen devices.
It's available in Hindi plus 21 other languages on Android and iOS.
So far, it's helped recover over six lakh lost phones, blocked nearly 37 lakh devices, shut down three crore fake connections, disabled almost 17 lakh WhatsApp accounts, and blacklisted more than 20,000 spam SMS senders—leading to a massive drop in spoof calls.
Why should you care?
This rule means every major brand—including Apple—must play by India's digital security rules if they want to sell here.
For anyone worried about scams or losing their phone, this is a big step toward making things safer for everyone using a smartphone in India.