Centre removes mandatory pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi App

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The North News

New Delhi, December 3

The Centre government has withdrawn its proposal to make the Sanchar Saathi mobile safety app a mandatory pre-installation on all smartphones, citing a rapid surge in public adoption. In a statement on Wednesday, officials said the App has already been downloaded by 1.4 crore users, who collectively contribute information on nearly 2,000 fraud incidents every day. The government said that in the past 24 hours alone, six lakh new users registered to download the app — a tenfold rise, which it described as a strong endorsement of the platform’s role in helping citizens guard against cyber fraud.

The government said that the initial plan to mandate pre-installation was intended to help less aware users access digital security tools more easily. But with voluntary uptake rising sharply, the measure is no longer considered necessary. The government reiterated that the app is secure, designed solely to help users report cyber fraud and identify malicious actors. It added that the app does not perform any function beyond user protection and can be removed from devices at any time.