The Union Government has withdrawn its directive that required all smartphones manufactured or imported in India to come with the Sanchar Saathi cyber-safety application pre-installed. The reversal comes merely a day after the initial mandate triggered intense public debate and privacy-related concerns.

The earlier order had been issued under Rule 8(4) of the Telecommunications (Telecom Cyber Security) Rules, 2024. In a statement released today through the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the Centre clarified that the mandatory requirement is being dropped in view of the “rapidly growing acceptance” of the app among users.

Sanchar Saathi, according to the government, is designed as a citizen-focused cybersecurity solution to protect users from digital frauds, identity misuse, and similar cybercrimes. The Centre reiterated that the app is safe, does not engage in any invasive activity, and can be uninstalled by users at their discretion. The initiative aims to enhance “Jan Bhagidari” by empowering citizens to report online fraudsters and suspicious activities directly.

The government highlighted significant user traction — over 1.4 crore installations to date, and crowd-sourced reporting of around 2,000 cyber-fraud incidents per day. Adoption has surged dramatically, with nearly 6 lakh new registrations in the last 24 hours, a ten-fold jump in daily growth.

Citing this rising trust and positive uptake, the government said:

“Given Sanchar Saathi’s increasing acceptance, the Government has decided not to make pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers.”

The application will remain freely available for users across India to download and use voluntarily.