Apple and Google are preparing to resist a government directive that requires smartphone manufacturers to preload the Sanchar Saathi application, citing concerns related to user privacy and overall system security.

Sanchar Saathi, developed by the government, is designed to help citizens report spam calls, suspicious messages, and cases of lost or stolen mobile phones

According to industry insiders, major smartphone makers have never been asked anywhere in the world to preinstall government-developed applications, and doing so only for India would require significant adjustments to both iOS and Android systems. Because of this, Apple and Google are exploring alternative, less intrusive ways to make the app available to users.

Samsung, meanwhile, is still reviewing the directive and has not yet finalized its stance.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) reportedly sent a confidential notification to manufacturers and importers last week, asking them to ship devices with Sanchar Saathi preloaded and ensure that its features cannot be removed or disabled.

With India hosting more than 1.2 billion mobile connections—over half of which are smartphones—digital rights groups have raised serious concerns. They warn that forcing the app onto devices removes user choice and consent while opening the door to “function creep,” where the app’s capabilities may gradually expand beyond its original purpose.

The government defends the mandate by stating that Sanchar Saathi helps users verify the legitimacy of mobile devices using their IMEI numbers. In a recent statement, officials emphasized that phones operating with duplicated or altered IMEI numbers pose a significant risk to national telecom security.

Apple, Google, and Samsung did not provide comments at the time of publication. Earlier reports by Reuters indicated that Apple may not comply with the mandate.

Sources suggest that companies are evaluating their next steps, and a legal challenge is possible if discussions with authorities fail to reverse the order. One executive noted that complying would force Google to create a dedicated Indian version of Android with Sanchar Saathi embedded—a move the company is unlikely to accept. Another pointed out that Apple would need to break its long-standing policy of not installing third-party apps on iPhones by default.

Smartphone makers worry that agreeing to India’s directive may set a global precedent, encouraging other governments to demand similar preloads. While such requirements are rare in Western nations, there have been exceptions elsewhere—for example, Russia recently required smartphones sold in the country to include MAX, a state-supported messaging platform that critics say could enable monitoring.