Apple rejects India’s demand to preload state security app

Apple is resisting an order from India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that would force all smartphone makers to preinstall a government cybersecurity app on new devices.

According to Reuters, the DoT has given major manufacturers 90 days to ship phones with the Sanchar Saathi (Communication Partner) app, which cannot be removed by users and is meant to track and block stolen phones and curb fraud. Apple has reportedly told officials it does not follow such mandates anywhere in the world and argues the requirement raises privacy and security concerns for its iOS ecosystem. The Indian government defends the move as a way for citizens to verify a handset’s authenticity and report misuse. Similar pressures are emerging elsewhere: in August, Russia ordered all phones and tablets to include the state-backed MAX messenger app by default.