WA Folders
Home / Blog

India's SIM binding rule and WhatsApp Web: what changes

Published

India will not force WhatsApp Web to log out every six hours: the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) dropped that rule and now asks for logouts based on risk, while the main SIM binding rule has a compliance deadline of December 31, 2026. If you use WhatsApp Web in India, expect your phone's SIM to matter more and surprise logouts to stay rare.

What the DoT actually ordered

On November 28, 2025, the DoT directed app-based messaging services, including WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal, to link each account to the SIM card in the user's phone. The first version gave platforms 90 days and said web sessions such as WhatsApp Web had to log out every six hours, with a fresh QR scan to get back in.

That changed in April 2026. In a written reply to Rajya Sabha question 4331 on April 2, 2026, the Minister of State for Communications said the compliance date is now 31.12.2026 and that web sessions "are required to be logged out on the basis of risk-based analysis. No specific time period has been stipulated for such logging out." The Economic Times reported that, under the new approach, sessions must be cut off right away only when fraud is suspected.

News reports this week describe January 1, 2027 as the day the rule starts to bite. The official date in the government's reply is the December 31, 2026 compliance deadline.

What SIM binding means for your phone

SIM binding means the messaging app on your phone has to check that the SIM for your WhatsApp number is in that phone. WhatsApp has already tested this with some users in India. In April, users reported a prompt asking for phone permission with the message: "Due to regulatory requirements in India, WhatsApp needs to check that your SIM card is in your device."

If you keep your WhatsApp number on one phone and use WhatsApp on another phone over Wi-Fi, that setup is the most likely to break. WhatsApp hasn't published its final version yet, so nobody can say exactly what the check will look like on January 1.

What it means for WhatsApp Web

WhatsApp Web is a linked device. It runs off your phone's account, not its own SIM, so the SIM check happens on the phone. What changes on the web side is the logout rule:

  • No fixed six-hour logout. The government reply says no time period is set.
  • Risk-based logouts. WhatsApp can end a web session it judges risky, and reports say it must do so at once in suspected fraud cases.
  • Your phone still matters. WhatsApp's own help page already says linked devices log out if you don't use your phone for over 14 days.

So if WhatsApp Web logs you out in 2027, relink it with the QR code from your phone. Your chats come back from your phone, as they always have.

What we checked in WA Folders

We looked at how WA Folders 1.3.8 stores its data, because a forced logout is the moment people worry about losing their setup. Folders, private notes, reminders and the search index are kept in chrome.storage.local, the extension's own storage in Chrome. That's separate from WhatsApp Web's site data, so logging out of WhatsApp Web doesn't erase it. Each chat is matched to WhatsApp's own chat id, not its name, so when you link again your chats land back in the same folders.

Two things would still wipe your setup: removing the extension, or clearing extension data in Chrome. Use Download backup under Backup and restore in WA Folders settings before either. If WhatsApp Web keeps hanging after you relink, our guide to WhatsApp Web stuck on Loading your chats walks through the fixes in order.

FAQ

Will WhatsApp Web log me out every six hours in India?

No. The six-hour rule was in the first version of the DoT directions, but the government's April 2, 2026 reply in the Rajya Sabha says logouts are risk-based and no fixed period is set.

When does SIM binding start?

The compliance deadline for messaging apps is December 31, 2026. Reports cite January 1, 2027 as the day it takes effect.

Do I need my SIM in my computer to use WhatsApp Web?

No. WhatsApp Web is a linked device and works through your phone's account. The SIM check is aimed at the phone where WhatsApp is registered.

Which apps does the rule cover?

The DoT directions cover app-based messaging services such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. Each platform decides how it will run the SIM check.

Will I lose my WA Folders folders if WhatsApp Web logs me out?

No. WA Folders keeps folders, notes and its search index in Chrome's extension storage, which a WhatsApp Web logout doesn't touch. Link WhatsApp Web again and your folders are still there. For a copy of a chat itself, see how to export a WhatsApp chat, and read about Restricted Chat for chats that won't open on the web at all.

Sources