Deadline Looms: SIM-Binding Compliance for Communication Apps

Communication service apps must comply with SIM-binding rules by December 31, 2026, as directed by the Indian government. The rules mandate that messaging platforms operate only if an active SIM is present in the device. Previous compliance deadlines were changed from March 28, 2026.

The countdown begins for communication service apps as they approach a crucial compliance deadline. By December 31, 2026, these apps must adhere to the SIM-binding rules, a directive shared with Parliament on Thursday.

The Minister of State for Telecom, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, clarified in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. He stated that the web services of apps need to conduct risk-based analysis to determine logout timings, without any specified period for the logout itself.

The directive requires that app-based communication services must link the SIM card in the user's device with the service apps. The Department of Telecom (DoT) had previously set a rule that users of web-based messengers must be logged out after six hours, pushing compliance deadlines forward from the earlier target of March 28, 2026.

(With inputs from agencies.)