New year, new rules and a different way of using WhatsApp in India. Different but not necessarily better. The Government of India through the Department of Telecommunications has sent an order to WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Aratai and other messaging apps that they will have to do SIM binding. Even in cases where a SIM is not required at the moment, such as WhatsApp Web, the government has mandated that the user must be re-verified every six hours using the primary phone. Messaging apps have 90 days to implement the measures and comply with the new government rules.

The news about the government’s instructions to messaging companies was first reported medianamaActually, this government order means that the way you use WhatsApp is going to change soon, Or rather, within 90 days, unless the government modifies or withdraws its order, how come? Let us explain,

The way WhatsApp works in India may soon change

For years, WhatsApp has worked fairly predictably in India – register once with your mobile number, move between devices whenever you want, keep WhatsApp Web open all day, and continue chatting even if your SIM isn’t in the phone you use. That routine is about to change.

Now, the government wants messaging apps to be tied to the SIM card used for registration, and this requirement changes many of the everyday features people use.

Essentially, the new rule requires messaging platforms like WhatsApp to constantly check whether the SIM card used to register an account is still physically present and active in the user’s device. Today, once you set up WhatsApp or Signal using OTP, the app continues to work even if you remove the SIM or place it in another phone. The government wants this behavior to stop.

Under the new requirement, if the registered SIM is removed, changed, or becomes inactive, the app will stop working immediately. It brings a continuous verification layer that goes much deeper than OTP-based registration. Apps need to keep checking the IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), which is a unique number stored in each SIM. Since IMSI is customer linked globally, the government believes that implementing IMSI checks will help reduce misuse.

This is kind of similar to how banking apps work in India at the moment. For example, if you’ve ever installed any banking app or even used an app like Paytm, you might have encountered a verification method that requires you to send a “precomposed” SMS to the server. This SMS verifies the SIM card, and links that particular SIM card to the banking app installed on your phone.

Under the new rules, popular messaging apps will also have to do something similar.

Importantly, it is not just phone-based access that will change. Collaboration platforms like WhatsApp Web, which many users like me keep open throughout the workday, will also face restrictions. Instead of indefinite login, WhatsApp Web sessions will automatically expire every six hours. To continue the session, users will have to scan the QR code again.

The government instructions say thus: “With effect from 90 days from the date of issue of these instructions, ensure that the web service instance of the mobile app, if provided, is logged out periodically (not more than 6 hours) and allows the user to re-link the device using the QR code.”

When will this happen?

Messaging apps have been given 90 days to implement these systems and four months to submit compliance details to the DoT.

Which apps come under the new rule?

This directive applies to all messaging apps that use mobile numbers for identification. This includes big names as well as domestic platforms:

-Whatsapp
-Signal
-Telegram
-arattai
-snapchat
-ShareChat
-GeoChat
-Passion

Essentially, if a service uses your phone number to create and verify your account, it will be covered under these terms.

Why does the government want this

The government argues that its new measures will reduce cyber fraud as well as help users protect themselves from the tactics used by cyber criminals.

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But at the same time, it is also clear that this move will cause a lot of inconvenience to millions of Indian users on WhatsApp.

SIM binding means that users who rely on Wi-Fi-only tablets or older secondary phones with no active SIM may be unable to use WhatsApp on those devices. That is, until messaging apps like WhatsApp introduce a new QR-code-based login feature to their tablet apps. Or unless users use WhatsApp Web on these devices.

The same is true for using messaging apps on multiple devices with the same number. This also won’t be possible unless messaging apps add some new login features.
Mandatory auto-logout, especially from WhatsApp Web, is one of the biggest practical changes. WhatsApp Web will no longer remain linked indefinitely. Every six hours, the connection will expire, even if the browsing session is active. To continue using it, you’ll need to scan the QR code again with your phone.

This will particularly impact office goers who keep WhatsApp Web open throughout the day for communications or customer support teams who use it as part of their workflow.

Will this make WhatsApp less convenient?

For India’s huge WhatsApp user base, the short answer is yes, a little bit. The app won’t become unusable, but the flexibility users have enjoyed for years will be reduced. The experience may feel interrupted for the following reasons:

— People who change phones frequently
– Users who rely heavily on WhatsApp Web
– People who use WhatsApp only on Wi-Fi devices
– People who use the app on multiple devices with one number

But the government believes that this is a necessary compromise for strong digital security.