India, Dec. 3 -- Apple is preparing to push back against a new Indian government directive that requires smartphone makers to preinstall a state-backed cybersecurity app on all devices sold in the country. If the company goes ahead with its expected response, iPhone users in India will not receive the mandatory Sanchar Saathi app on new devices, at least for now.

The Indian government this week issued a confidential order to major smartphone makers, instructing them to preinstall the Sanchar Saathi app at the manufacturing stage within 90 days. The app, developed by the Department of Telecommunications, is used to track and block stolen phones and prevent them from being misused in scams.

It was believed that once installed under the go...