Earlier, when the Government of India issued directions to several OEMs making it mandatory for the Sanchar Saathi app to come pre-installed on devices, the wording of that order made it seem like the app could not be deleted or uninstalled.
However, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region) later clarified on X that although the app would come pre-loaded, users would still have the freedom to uninstall or delete it. Soon after, reports emerged stating that Apple was unwilling to modify its software to include mandatory pre-loading of the Sanchar Saathi app, citing privacy and security concerns.
Now, in a new press release, it has been confirmed that the decision to mandate pre-loading of the app has been withdrawn. The press release also mentions that 1.4 crore users have already downloaded the app, and the user base is growing rapidly. The ministry originally made pre-loading mandatory to accelerate adoption. But according to new data, in just the last one day alone, 6 lakh citizens have registered to download the app — a 10× surge in uptake. With this momentum, the government has stated that there is no longer any need to make pre-installation compulsory for mobile manufacturers.
Government lifts mandatory pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi App
Refer to press release for details: https://t.co/n3iqBdZzXZ#DoT #Telecommunications #CyberSecurity #DoTForDigitalSafety #SancharSaathi@JM_Scindia @PemmasaniOnX @neerajmittalias @USOF_India @pib_comm @PIB_India… pic.twitter.com/KqVmjO1fF5
— DoT India (@DoT_India) December 3, 2025
