News in numbers: India mandates SIM-linked messaging apps
India just rolled out a rule that makes you keep your messaging app accounts, like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and Snapchat, tied to the physical SIM card in your main phone.
The idea is to fight rising cyber frauds (including large losses from digital-arrest scams reported at about ₹54,000 crore), and the rule took effect on March 1, 2026.
How it works
If you remove or deactivate your SIM card, these apps will stop working until it's back in the device.
Desktop versions like WhatsApp Web will now log out every six hours unless you scan a QR code from your phone with the active SIM.
For most people who stick with their regular number and device, day-to-day use shouldn't change much.
Controversy around the rule
Groups like Broadband India Forum have raised legal objections, calling the rule 'unconstitutional' because telecom laws shouldn't apply to apps.
Legal experts aren't all on the same page about whether this argument will win out.
For now though, as long as your registered SIM stays put in your phone, you're good to go.