What’s the Reason Behind WhatsApp Web Auto-Logout Every 6 Hours? The New SIM-Binding Rules of DoT Explained

WhatsApp Web and other related services will shortly get logged out automatically every six hours in India. This is a result of the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) new SIM-binding regulations that require messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram to keep accounts permanently connected to the registered SIM card.

The New SIM-Binding Rule’s Implications

According to the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Amendment Rules, 2025, the Telecommunication Identifier User Entities (TIUEs) that identify the users via mobile numbers have to directly verify accounts with the SIM’s IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) that is more accurate than just OTPs.

The key requirements are as follows:

To access messaging apps, users have to keep the original SIM card in their mobile.

Every six hours, WhatsApp Web will auto-log out and so on for other web services.

These changes have to be implemented by the platforms in 90 days and then they have to report compliance within four months.

What’s the Reason for Government’s Action?

The DoT claims that when the registered SIM is not present, cybercriminals make use of messaging apps and it then becomes very challenging to detect and trace fraud, especially when foreign misuse is involved. By enforcing SIM binding, it argues, telecom security gets stronger and the authorities’ capacity to track down bad actors gets better.

Support and Concerns from the Telecom and Technology Firms

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), one of the telecom operators, was at first in favor of SIM binding, pointing out that the apps are still working even after the SIM is removed, which creates a loophole for fraud.

However, the final order has raised some issues in terms of practicality:

International travelers: Users with foreign SIMs may lose the access to their accounts.

Professional workflows: Frequent auto-logouts on WhatsApp Web could cause interruptions to work that is dependent on web-based messaging.

Effectiveness against fraud: Fraudsters utilizing fake SIMs might still manage to bypass the security, thus it would not be possible to eliminate risks by just SIM binding.

Consequences for Global Platforms

For instance, WhatsApp, having more than 500 million users in India, will need extensive technical re-engineering to comply with these India-specific regulations as SIM-binding is not a requirement laid down by other nations.

Even though digital fraud is the target of these new regulations, they might be a source of friction for typical users, particularly the ones relying on web access or frequently traveling abroad.