The government has rolled back the order mandating the pre-installation of the Sanchar Saathi app on new smartphones after political uproar in the Parliament during the Winter Session. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the government is revoking the mandate, citing the app's increasing popularity.

Sanchar Saathi, a state-owned cybersecurity app, became the centre of controversy over user privacy after a government directive privately sent to smartphone makers in November ordered them to preload the app in their mobile ecosystems. It said that all new phones across platforms and brands must have the app baked right into the core software, with no option to remove or delete it. For existing phones, the directive asked phone companies to roll out software updates with Sanchar Saathi as part of their ecosystems on both Android and iOS.

After the opposition questioned the government over the order, labelling the move a precursor to digital surveillance, Scindia clarified that the app is intended to only safeguard mobile phones against theft and loss, alongside curbing rampant cyber fraud.

The minister emphasised that Sanchar Saathi cannot be used to eavesdrop as it does not gain the permissions necessary to intercept call logs or messages stored on phones. However, the app's Google Play listing states otherwise, showing that it asks for such permissions and beyond on an Android phone, specifically. These permissions are necessary for an app of such a nature: Sanchar Saathi enables authorities to locate and track phones. But privacy advocates showed concern, saying the permissions the app requires to function can be used for purposes beyond tracking.

"The Government with an intent to provide access to cybersecurity to all citizens, had mandated [the] pre-installation of Sanchar Saathi app on all smartphones. The app is secure and purely meant to help citizens from bad actors in the cyber world,” a government statement said.

Scindia also said that the app does not have an arbitrary nature, as it becomes active only after a user signs up for it even if it is preloaded on the phone. He also said that the app is deletable on phones, contradicting the government's first notification.