NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecommunication said that the SIM-binding directive, which mandates messaging platforms to provide their services on a mobile device only if there is an active SIM available, or for web versions of apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal to be logged out after six hours, has been extended to December 31, 2026.
Earlier, the compliance deadline for the rules was March 2026.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Telecom Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said that the web services of mobile apps are required to be logged out based on risk-based analysis, and the government has not specified any fixed time period for the logout.
"The government has issued directions to certain app-based communication service providers to link the SIM card (associated with mobile number used for identification of customers/users or for provisioning or delivery of services) present in the device of the customer/user with the communication service apps concerned and has specified the timeframe for compliance with the same as December 31, 2026," the minister said.
However, according to DoT officials, there are technical challenges, including testing and operating system (OS) updates. It is believed that compliance will be rolled out in phases, with issues expected to be resolved by December 2026.
The directive would require a continuous link between a user's SIM and certain messaging applications to access their services. It also mandates that platforms automatically log out users accessing services via the web at least once every six hours.