Overview
- The Department of Telecommunications set a February 28 implementation deadline, with compliance reports due by March 28.
- Rules require messaging accounts to stay linked to the active SIM in the device, and only web or PC sessions must auto‑logout every six hours.
- Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said there will be no extension or relaxation of the directive.
- WABetaInfo spotted WhatsApp beta code referencing SIM checks tied to Indian regulations, though WhatsApp said it had nothing further to share and the feature remains under development.
- Industry bodies have warned of user disruption, and technical experts say continuous SIM validation may be infeasible without OS‑level support, potentially pushing apps toward recurring OTP workarounds.