Good news for WhatsApp and Telegram users! The government has given a big relief

Sim Binding Timeline: The Government of India has given big relief news for people using other messaging apps, including WhatsApp and Telegram. In fact, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has extended the deadline for SIM binding for messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. These companies now have time till the end of this year to comply with the SIM binding norms. Let us tell you that the government had announced the rules on SIM binding in November last year. Let's know why SIM binding was brought in and why the government has now extended its timeline

What is Sim Binding?

SIM binding means that messaging apps can only be used on the device that has the same SIM card as the one who registered on that platform. If the SIM card is removed from the device, it becomes inactive, or another SIM card is inserted in it, the app will automatically log out of the user.

Why was the timeline for Sim Binding extended?

Moneycontrol, citing sources, wrote that the Department of Telecom has started informing all stakeholders about the extension of the timeline. These platforms had sought additional time citing technical issues in implementing SIM binding. From March 30, the government has started disclosing it to all platforms><

In addition to messaging platforms, mobile companies like Google and Apple also asked for extra time. Apple said it would not be able to implement it given the technical limitations of its iOS ecosystem. Now the company is working on a solution. Meta is also in talks with the government on this><

Why was Sim Binding mandatory?

The government argues that SIM binding will help prevent cases of cyber fraud. In fact, the government had observed that apps that use mobile numbers to identify users allow them to use their services even without a SIM card in the device. This poses a threat to telecom cyber security and due to this people sitting outside the country can commit cyber frauds. Initially, messaging platforms were given 90 days to implement SIM binding, but now its timeline has been extended to the end of 2026.