According to Ars Technica, Apple will not comply with a new mandate from India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that requires all phone makers to preload the government’s Sanchar Saathi app on devices. The order, issued yesterday, gives manufacturers and importers just 90 days to comply and 120 days to submit a compliance report. The app, which is already available for download on the Apple App Store, is designed to let users block lost or stolen phones using the device’s IMEI code. However, privacy advocates and political opponents like Congress Party MP Priyanka Gandhi are calling it a “snooping app” that could give the government access to India’s 730 million smartphones. Apple, citing sources familiar with its thinking, plans to tell the Indian government it cannot follow the order due to security vulnerabilities and that it doesn’t comply with such mandates anywhere in the world.
The real fight over control
Here’s the thing: this isn’t just about a pre-installed app. It’s a fundamental clash over who controls the software on your device. Apple‘s entire brand is built on a tightly controlled, secure iOS ecosystem. Forcing them to preload any third-party app—especially one from a government—shatters that principle. And the Indian government’s directive is brutally specific: the app must be “readily visible” at setup and its functions cannot be “disabled or restricted.” That last bit is the kicker. It strongly suggests this wouldn’t be a normal app you could just delete. As the Internet Freedom Foundation argues, it would likely need system-level “root” access to be truly unremovable, turning every phone into a “vessel for state mandated software.”
A slippery slope for surveillance
So why is this such a big deal? The government frames it as a benign consumer protection tool, and its official portal does offer useful features like checking for fraudulent connections in your name. But the potential for mission creep is enormous. With that level of system access, what’s to stop a server-side update from repurposing the app? It could theoretically scan for “banned” apps, monitor VPN usage, or trawl through SMS logs—all under the broad umbrella of “fraud detection.” Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia says it’s “voluntary” and deletable, but that directly contradicts the DoT’s own order about non-restrictable functionality. Which one is it?
What’s Apple’s next move?
Apple reportedly doesn’t want a public fight or a court battle. They’ll likely try to negotiate a middle ground, maybe by promoting the app during setup instead of forcing it. But the Indian government has shown it’s not afraid to play hardball with tech giants. They’ve got a huge market, and companies like Samsung and Xiaomi might be more willing to fold. If Apple holds its ground, this could become a major standoff. It’s a test of their global privacy stance versus the demands of a critical growth market. Basically, can they afford to say no? I think they believe they have to, or the precedent would be catastrophic. Every other government would come knocking with their own “must-have” app.
Broader implications for tech
This situation is a canary in the coal mine for the entire industry. When governments mandate software integration, it blurs the line between device security and state security. For businesses and enterprises that rely on the integrity of mobile hardware for operations, this kind of mandated backdoor is a nightmare scenario. It compromises the very security they pay for. In industrial and manufacturing settings, where reliable, secure computing is non-negotiable, companies turn to trusted suppliers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs, precisely to avoid these kinds of forced, vulnerable software integrations. The principle is the same: control over your device’s core software is paramount. If Apple bends here, it weakens the argument for that control everywhere.
