Apple to resist India order to preload Sanchar Saathi app on iPhone: Report
Apple does not plan to comply with the mandate to preload its iPhones with the Sanchar Saathi app and will convey its concerns to the Government of India.
Apple Inc. does not plan to comply with the Government of India's mandate to preload its iPhones with the state-owned Sanchar Saathi app and will convey its concerns to New Delhi, three sources familiar with the matter said.
The iPhone maker will tell the government it does not follow such mandates anywhere in the world as they raise a host of privacy and security issues for its iOS ecosystem, two of the industry sources familiar with Apple's concerns told Reuters. They declined to be named as the company's strategy is private.
“Its not only like taking a sledgehammer, this is like a double-barrel gun,” the first source told Reuters. Sources said the government moved forward with the order without industry consultation.
On Tuesday, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said the Sanchar Saathi app was a “voluntary and democratic system” and that users can choose to activate it and can “easily delete it from their phone at any time”.
At present, the app can be deleted by users. Scindia did not comment on or clarify the 28 November confidential directive that ordered smartphone makers to start preloading it and ensure that “its functionalities are not disabled or restricted”.
{{/usCountry}}At present, the app can be deleted by users. Scindia did not comment on or clarify the 28 November confidential directive that ordered smartphone makers to start preloading it and ensure that “its functionalities are not disabled or restricted”.
{{/usCountry}}Apple did not respond to requests for comment.
What is the Sanchar Saathi app?
{{/usCountry}}Apple did not respond to requests for comment.
What is the Sanchar Saathi app?
{{/usCountry}}The Government of India has confidentially ordered companies including Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi to preload their phones with an app called Sanchar Saathi, or communication partner, within 90 days, according to a Hindustan Times report on 1 December 2025. The app is intended to track stolen phones, block them and prevent them from being misused.
{{/usCountry}}The Government of India has confidentially ordered companies including Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi to preload their phones with an app called Sanchar Saathi, or communication partner, within 90 days, according to a Hindustan Times report on 1 December 2025. The app is intended to track stolen phones, block them and prevent them from being misused.
{{/usCountry}}The government wants manufacturers to ensure that the app is not disabled. For devices already in the supply chain, manufacturers should push the app to phones via software updates, Reuters was first to report on Monday.
{{/usCountry}}The government wants manufacturers to ensure that the app is not disabled. For devices already in the supply chain, manufacturers should push the app to phones via software updates, Reuters was first to report on Monday.
{{/usCountry}}India's telecom ministry confirmed the move later, describing it as a security measure to combat “serious endangerment” of cyber security. But PM Narendra Modi's political opponents and privacy advocates criticised the move, saying it is a way for the government to gain access to India's 730 million smartphones.
The government's press release said that the app can help tackle incidents of duplicated or spoofed IMEI numbers, which enable scams and network misuse.
“India has big second-hand mobile device market,” the telecom ministry said in the statement. “Cases have also been observed where stolen or blacklisted devices are being resold.”
‘Big Brother cannot watch us’
The order caused a furore both inside and outside Parliament on Tuesday, with a number of lawmakers accusing the government of introducing an app that would act as a snooping tool. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi said he planned to speak about the app in Parliament.
The Congress has called for a rollback of the mandate. On X (formerly Twitter), Congress leader K.C. Venugopal said “Big Brother cannot watch us”.
Elsewhere, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said, “Common sense tells me that these apps can be useful provided they are voluntary. Everyone who needs them should be able to download them.”
The Modi government's press release said the app can help tackle incidents of duplicated or spoofed IMEI numbers, which enable scams and network misuse.
“India has big second-hand mobile device market,” the telecom ministry said in a statement late on Monday. “Cases have also been observed where stolen or blacklisted devices are being re-sold.”
What next?
While Apple tightly controls its App Store and proprietary iOS software—which are crucial to its $100-billion-per-year services business—Google's Android is open-sourced, allowing manufacturers like Samsung and Xiaomi greater leeway to modify their software.
The second source said Apple does not plan to go to court or take a public stand, but it will tell the government it cannot follow the order because of security vulnerabilities.
Apple “can't do this. Period,” the person said.
The app order comes even as Apple is locked in a legal fight over the nation's antitrust penalty law. Apple has said that it risks facing a fine of up to $38 billion in a case.
Other brands including Samsung are reviewing the order, said a fourth industry source who is familiar with the matter. Samsung did not respond to Reuters queries.
