The Indian government has made significant changes to the restrictions for using messaging apps. Popular apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Snapchat, ShareChat, JioChat, Arattai, and Josh will no longer work without an active SIM card.
Millions of social media users have received important news. The Indian government has made significant changes to the rules controlling the use of messaging applications. Popular apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Snapchat, ShareChat, JioChat, Arattai, and Josh will no longer work without an active SIM card. This rule was implemented by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) as part of the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Amendment Rules 2025.
These platforms must now ensure that the user’s SIM card is constantly attached to the app. Apps will need to incorporate this within 90 days. A significant update has also been made for people who access the program via a web browser. The app will automatically auto-logout after six hours, requiring users to scan the QR code again to login.
This is why the choice was made.
According to the Department of Telecommunications, this action is intended to fix a key vulnerability in communication apps’ user authentication. Currently, most communication applications just validate a user’s mobile number after installation. After then, the app will continue to function even if the SIM card is removed or disabled.
Furthermore, criminals sometimes use these applications even after switching SIM cards while outside India, making it harder to identify them using call records, location logs, or telecom data. Persistent SIM-binding keeps track of the user, number, and device, potentially lowering spam, fraud, and financial fraud on messaging systems.
Indian government : This feature is already built into financial apps.
It should be mentioned that this technique has already been deployed in UPI and financial applications. Banking and payment apps cannot function without a SIM card. Furthermore, these apps regularly verify the SIM card. SEBI has also examined security measures like tying trading accounts to SIM cards and facial recognition.
