Is it going to be India versus Apple again? Like it happened in the case of spam calls app earlier. Possibly. India just told phone companies that all new smartphones sold – as well as all existing devices – in the country must have the Sanchar Saathi app on them. The government says the app is designed to fight cyber fraud and track lost or stolen devices. But given the scope of the app, it is almost certain that Apple would resist pre-installing Sanchar Saathi on iPhone.
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Currently, it is not clear if the app is mandatory or not. The DoT circular says it must be pre-installed on phones and in a way where users cannot disable, modify or delete it. But Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday clarified it was not mandatory and that users would be able to uninstall, going contrary against the directive that DoT had issued. DoT is yet to issue an updated circular.
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