India’s Department of Telecommunications has ordered phone makers — including Apple, Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, and Xiaomi — to pre-install the government’s Sanchar Saathi app on all new phones and add it to existing devices via software updates. Companies have 90 days to comply.
The app, which cannot be removed, helps block or track stolen phones using IMEI data and report fraud messages. The move echoes Russia’s recent mandate to preload a state-backed messaging app.
The decision comes as Apple and Google expand sales and manufacturing in India, though neither has commented on the order.
Source: The Verge
