12:20 PM IST – A new smartphone rule is coming that will change every device you buy in India. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has ordered that Sanchar Saathi must come pre-installed on all new mobile handsets sold in the country. This direction was officially issued in the PIB 01 DEC 2025 Press Release from DoT.
The instruction may look small, but its effect will be felt by every phone user — because this app is meant to fight the one thing India is tired of: mobile-based fraud.
Until now, Sanchar Saathi was just another government app in the Play Store. Most people did not download it. Now, you won’t get the choice to skip it.
So what suddenly changed?
Fraud attacks are rising fast. The phone user reports fake bank calls, duplicate SIM cards issued using stolen documents. Lost phones are also being misused for UPI and OTP fraud.
The government wants to put a security shield inside the phone itself, instead of begging users to stay alert later.
And unlike usual pre-installed apps that we just delete, this one cannot be removed or disabled.
Because the goal is simple: protect users even if they don’t care about protection.
Inside the App – What You See & How It Works
Sanchar Saathi is meant to help normal users without tech knowledge. The app has 5 big features you actually use:
- Chakshu — Report fraud calls/SMS/WhatsApp in a few taps
- Block Lost/Stolen Phone — The user can block IMEI across all networks
- Check Mobile Connections in Your Name — Spot fake SIMs using your ID
- Check Phone Genuineness — Scan IMEI barcode to avoid fake/duplicate phones
- Report International Calls Showing +91 — Helps catch illegal call routing
All of this sits on the home screen. No hunting.
But yes — it brings questions
Some people feel like the phone is becoming less “user-owned” and more “system-controlled.”
The app has deep access — that makes privacy an active topic.
Also, forced safety is still forced, right?
- But the other side is louder: Scam happens = people worried = blame government
- Now the government wants to act before the scam happens.
Easemoney View
Phones are today’s wallets, bank counters, and money safes — all in one.
So protection inside the phone should be instant, not optional.
This move will not trend like a hero announcement.
But it may quietly protect lakhs of people from fraud losses they never see coming.
With Sanchar Saathi:
- You know your phone is yours
- Your SIM is yours
- Your identity is yours
- Your money stays yours
Without Sanchar Saathi: Someone else could own all of that — and you find out too late. The major benefit you have, you can report a fraud instantly. it available both iOS And Android, you can install it now..
