New rule by the government! SIM card is removed from the mobile, many messaging apps will stop working

In India, various messaging apps including WhatsApp and Snapchat are extremely popular and have a large user base. Taking advantage of these users, cyber criminals have repeatedly targeted many people using WhatsApp and Telegram.

The Government of India has implemented this new rule for public safety. According to these guidelines, many messaging apps including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and Snapchat can no longer be used without a valid Indian SIM.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has implemented a new provision under the Telecommunications Cybersecurity Enhancement Rules, 2025, requiring companies to provide services only to active SIM card holders.

Messaging apps have been given a period of 90 days to implement the new system. The government has included them in the list of telecommunications identifiers and made it mandatory to link the app to an active SIM.

New rules have been implemented for WhatsApp Web users. Now, the account on the computer will automatically log out after six hours, and to use it again, you will need to scan the QR code.

In most messaging apps, the mobile number is verified during installation, but the app continues to work even after the SIM is removed. Criminals take advantage of this flaw to commit cyber crimes.

According to the new rule, an active SIM will be mandatory to use messaging apps. As soon as the SIM is removed from the phone, the app will be deactivated. This provision will come into effect from February 2026.