SIM Binding mandated from March 1: How WhatsApp, Telegram, Arattai and other messaging apps change

With the calendar turning to March, major messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Snapchat, ShareChat, JioChat, Arattai, and Josh, are now mandated to keep user accounts continuously linked to the active Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card used during registration. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) directive, issued under the Telecom Cyber Security (TCS) Rules, 2024 (as amended), takes full effect on March 1 after a 90-day compliance window granted on November 28, 2025.