The move is aimed at curbing the recent surge of cybercrimes and hacking in the South Asian country

India has directed smartphone makers to pre-install a cybersecurity app that cannot be deleted to curb a surge in hacking and cybercrimes.

New Delhi believes the installation of the Sanchar Saathi app will strengthen cybersecurity on mobile devices and prevent tampering and spoofing of the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, according to the Times of India. 

The number is used globally to track devices and prevent stolen equipment from logging on to a network.

"Ensure that the pre-installed Sanchar Saathi application is readily visible and accessible to the end users at the time of first use or device setup and that its functionalities are not disabled or restricted," the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said in a notification.

The DoT directive asks handset makers to ensure all devices manufactured in or imported to India install the app within 90 days, starting November 28.

For phones that have been manufactured already, the Indian government wants handset companies to push the app through a software update, according to the NDTV website.

Sanchar Saathi aims to provide citizen-centric services through a mobile app and its web portal. Its website says the app has helped block 4.2 million stolen phones and assisted in recovering 2.6 million handsets.

The app has registered 10 million Android downloads and a million on iOS.

India's Telecommunications (Telecom Cybersecurity) Rules 2024 gives the government power to "establish digital or other mechanisms" that may endanger telecom cybersecurity.

Between 2021 and mid-2025, the country recorded more than 2.2 million cybersecurity incidents, according to Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) data.

CERT-IN identified telecom, financial services, healthcare, and government platforms as the hardest hit in such incidents.

In another directive, the DoT ordered messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, and Signal, to ensure SIM binding. SIM binding is a process by which a messaging app verifies that the registered SIM card remains active in a device.

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The government move followed complaints that such apps were being used without the registered SIM present on the device, enabling misuse from outside India, according to the Economic Times.