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Sanchar Sathi app pre-install order withdrawn – Government reverses decision amidst strong opposition from opposition

Samira Vishwas | December 4, 2025 2:24 AM CST

New Delhi, 3 December. The Central Government on Wednesday withdrew the order to make mandatory pre-installation of Sanchar Sathi app in smartphones after strong opposition from opposition parties. Opposition leaders had expressed concerns about espionage. He said that this app can listen to calls and monitor messages.

It was made mandatory for mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi app in smartphones.

The government said that it is not mandatory to pre-install the Sanchar Sathi app in the mobile phone. The decision comes amid the ongoing debate in Parliament over privacy concerns to the app. According to a government order issued last week, it was made mandatory for mobile phone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Sathi app in smartphones.

According to the government, this app has been completely designed keeping in mind to protect the users from cyber frauds, help them in reporting malicious activities and deal with cyber crime.

So far 1.4 Crore users downloaded Sanchar Sathi app

So far, 1.4 crore users have downloaded the Sanchar Sathi app, which collectively report about 2,000 fraud incidents every day, a press release said. This pace increased further in the last 24 hours, with six lakh new registrations. Along with this, it was said that in view of the increasing acceptance of Sanchar Sathi app, the government has decided not to make pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers.

Communications Minister Scindia said – Snooping is not possible through Sanchar Sathi app.

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that snooping is neither possible through Sanchar Sathi app nor will it ever be possible in future. He said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, ‘Today the number of our users in the country has reached one billion. While telecommunication services have a positive impact, they are also being used negatively. In such a situation, it is the responsibility of the government to keep the people and every citizen of the country safe from these negative effects. With this thinking, Sanchar Sathi portal was launched in 2023 and Sanchar Sathi app in 2025.