In a significant stand against digital surveillance concerns, Apple Inc. has declared its intention to reject an Indian government directive requiring smartphone manufacturers to preinstall the state-developed ‘Sanchar Saathi’ application on all devices. The controversial mandate, issued confidentially to industry giants including Samsung and Xiaomi, provides a 90-day compliance window for embedding the cyber safety tool designed to track stolen phones and prevent misuse.
The Indian telecommunications ministry has characterized the measure as an essential security protocol to combat rising cyber threats, particularly addressing the proliferation of duplicated IMEI numbers that facilitate scams and network exploitation. However, privacy advocates and political opponents of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration have condemned the move as governmental overreach that could potentially grant authorities unprecedented access to India’s 730 million smartphone users.
According to three industry sources familiar with Apple’s position, the technology giant plans to formally communicate its objections to New Delhi, emphasizing that such mandates contradict its global privacy standards and threaten the security integrity of its iOS ecosystem. Two sources confirmed that Apple will neither comply with the order nor pursue legal action, but will instead present its security concerns through diplomatic channels.
The development occurs amid Apple’s ongoing legal confrontation with Indian antitrust regulators regarding penalty provisions that could potentially expose the company to $38 billion in fines. While Samsung and other Android-based manufacturers reportedly continue evaluating the mandate, Apple maintains its distinctive position due to its tightly controlled App Store and proprietary software architecture—key components of its $100-billion annual services business.
India’s primary opposition party, the Congress Party, has demanded immediate revocation of the mandate, with senior leader KC Venugopal declaring on social media platform X that ‘Big Brother cannot watch us.’ The government maintains that the initiative addresses legitimate security concerns in a market with substantial second-hand device circulation, where stolen or blacklisted phones frequently reappear in commerce.