India sets deadline for messaging app SIM-linking rule

India’s Department of Telecommunications has set December 31, 2026, as the deadline for covered messaging services to keep accounts linked to the active SIM associated with each registered Indian mobile number. The requirement is intended to curb fraud, but it does not establish that WhatsApp, Telegram or other apps will universally stop working on January 1, 2027. The directions, issued on November 28, 2025, under the Telecom Cyber Security Rules, 2024, apply to services that use Indian mobile numbers to identify users or provide services. The DoT named WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Snapchat, Arattai, ShareChat, Josh and JioChat. Services must ensure the associated active SIM is in the device running the app. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on April 2, 2026, Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar set December 31 as the compliance date. The directions originally set an implementation timetable of 90 days, but the minister’s reply gives the later deadline. January 1, 2027, has been reported as the expected start of operations, rather than a separate date confirmed as a universal cutoff for users. The rule targets accounts that remain usable after a...