--- title: "Working from India with a Mac: internet, eSIMs and what’s blocked" url: "https://kilobat.app/travel/india" description: "Working from India with a Mac: TikTok and other banned apps, regional internet shutdowns, a passport and visa for a SIM, mobile-number sign-in on public Wi-Fi and a ban on unlicensed satellite phones. Sourced and checked." --- Travel · South Asia # Working from India with a Mac: internet, eSIMs and what’s blocked Most of what a Mac needs works in India, and mobile data is plentiful. The differences are a list of apps banned since 2020, internet shutdowns that hit whole regions for days, identity checks on every SIM and on public Wi-Fi, and strict rules on satellite devices, which catch out travellers every year. Region South Asia Blocked TikTok and other apps banned since 2020[1](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-1); regional shutdowns, 65 of them in 2025[2](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-2). Calls Regional internet shutdowns can interrupt calls in affected areas; fixed and mobile services may be affected differently[2](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-2). SIM rule Passport with a valid visa; a tourist SIM lasts no longer than the visa or three months at a time[5](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-5). VPN law Consumer-facing VPN services must retain certain customer records for five years or longer[3](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-3); satellite phones need DoT permission[7](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-7). **Checked 1 November 2026.** Rules and blocks change, sometimes overnight. Each claim links to its source; where a source and this page differ, the source wins. ## What’s blocked or restricted India blocks specific apps and sites rather than whole categories, and cuts the internet off in regions during unrest. - **Banned apps.** In June 2020 the government blocked 59 mostly Chinese apps, among them TikTok, SHAREit, UC Browser and WeChat, under Section 69A of the IT Act, citing sovereignty and security[1](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-1). - **Internet shutdowns.** India imposed 65 internet shutdowns in 2025, second only to Myanmar in the Asia Pacific, during protests, religious events and politically sensitive moments[2](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-2). A shutdown looks like a dead connection, not a blocked site. If the whole internet stops at once in one area, check local news before restarting anything. When a banned app won’t load, Kilobat can identify signs of a network block or a service’s own regional refusal, though the result can be inconclusive. See [blocked here, not down](https://kilobat.app/is-it-down#blocked-here). ## Calling apps Regional internet shutdowns can interrupt internet calls in affected areas; the services and networks affected vary[2](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-2). - In a shutdown, an ordinary phone call through your carrier may still work when data doesn’t. - Agree a fallback for important calls, such as a phone number, before a shutdown rather than during one. ## How mobile data reaches your Mac There are three ways to get mobile data to your Mac. - **An Indian SIM.** Cheap and fast, but tied to your visa and checked against your passport[5](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-5). Shutdowns and app bans apply. - **Roaming on your home SIM.** Roaming data can be routed through your home carrier[10](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-10), but the route and service availability vary by carrier and network. Check with your provider and do not rely on access to a specific service. - **A travel eSIM.** Many exit to the internet through another operator’s gateway in a third country[10](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-10)[11](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-11). Sellers rarely say which. Indian law still applies to what you do in India, whichever way the data travels. ## What the law says about VPNs CERT-In’s cybersecurity directions set subscriber-record requirements for some VPN services[3](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-3). - CERT-In’s 2022 directions require VPN services offering Internet-proxy-like access to the public to retain certain customer information for five years or longer; its FAQ excludes enterprise and corporate VPNs from this particular subscriber-record requirement[3](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-3). - Satellite phones are allowed only with specific permission from the Department of Telecommunications or through BSNL’s licensed service[7](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-7). Having one without permission is an offence even in transit, and can lead to a fine, arrest and confiscation[8](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-8). - Australia’s travel advice warns of up to three years in prison and large fines, including for personal locator beacons; ordinary smartphones with maps are fine[9](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-9). ## SIM and eSIM registration Every SIM is registered to a verified person. The Department of Telecommunications’ instructions set out what foreigners need[5](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-5). - A passport with a valid visa is the proof of identity, and a local reference or the address where you stay, such as a hotel, is the proof of address[5](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-5)[12](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-12). - A tourist’s connection can’t run beyond the visa, and no longer than three months at a time even when the visa is longer[5](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-5). - Since July 2024, the step that sends a one-time code to a second Indian number is optional for foreign visitors; operators can send it to your email instead[4](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-4)[6](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-6). ## Hotel and café Wi-Fi Public Wi-Fi in India is usually signed in with a mobile number and a one-time code. - Under the government’s PM-WANI public Wi-Fi framework, you create a profile in an app and verify your mobile number with a one-time password before you connect[13](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-13). - Hotels and cafés often use their own sign-in pages, which may also send a code by text. On a roaming number, that text can be slow; ask the front desk for another way in. - If the sign-in page never appears, see [why the Wi-Fi sign-in page doesn’t show](https://kilobat.app/guides/captive-portal-not-appearing). ## Prepare your Mac before you go Prepare the Mac, and check your bag. - Leave satellite messengers and personal locator beacons at home unless you have DoT permission[7](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-7)[9](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-9). - Download big installers, updates and documents before you go, so a regional shutdown doesn’t stop your work. - For two-factor sign-in, an authenticator app works offline. Its codes come from a shared secret and the clock[14](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-14), so they keep working when texts to a roaming number don’t arrive. - Save offline maps and booking details, and note your hotel’s address for SIM registration[5](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-5). ## Where Kilobat helps Kilobat checks your connection and the service to help you investigate what may be wrong. - **Is it them or me, or blocked here?** Kilobat checks your connection and the service’s status page. It may identify signs of a network block or a service’s own regional refusal; results can be inconclusive. See [blocked here, not down](https://kilobat.app/is-it-down#blocked-here) and [“not available in your region” answers](https://kilobat.app/docs/health#region-unavailable). - **Hotel Wi-Fi sign-in.** Kilobat can notice a sign-in page and offers a button to open it. With Pro, it can warn before a session expires once it has learned its usual length. See [hotel Wi-Fi login on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/hotel-wifi-login-mac). - **Leak test.** The VPN leak test checks for selected DNS, IPv6 and UDP leaks. Passing these checks does not prove that all traffic uses the VPN. See [proxies and VPNs](https://kilobat.app/proxies-vpns). - **Hotspot data saver and data packs.** The Travel profile holds back backups and updaters on your phone’s hotspot, and a budget that starts over only when you reset it fits a prepaid data pack. See [save hotspot data](https://kilobat.app/save-hotspot-data). - **Call reports.** After each call, Kilobat says whether it froze and why, such as a busy hotspot or a weak signal. See [video calls](https://kilobat.app/video-calls) and [Kilobat for digital nomads](https://kilobat.app/digital-nomads). Guides for the road: [Wi-Fi login page does not appear on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/captive-portal-not-appearing), [Mac uses Personal Hotspot data in the background](https://kilobat.app/guides/hotspot-background-data), [Set a monthly data budget that resets on renewal day](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/monthly-data-budget) and [Test for call stutter](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/test-call-stutter). ## Questions **Can I bring a satellite messenger or beacon to India?** Not without permission. Satellite phones need permission from the Department of Telecommunications[7](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-7), and Australia’s travel advice says this includes personal locator beacons[9](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-9). **How long does an Indian tourist SIM last?** No longer than your visa, and no more than three months at a time[5](https://kilobat.app/travel/india#source-5). ## Sources 1. [MediaNama: India bans 59 Chinese apps including TikTok (June 2020)](https://www.medianama.com/2020/06/223-tiktok-banned-india-59-chinese-apps/) News 2. [Access Now: internet shutdowns in the Asia Pacific in 2025 (March 2026)](https://www.accessnow.org/press-release/one-region-half-the-worlds-shutdowns-internet-shutdowns-in-the-asia-pacific-in-2025/) Rights group 3. [CERT-In: Frequently Asked Questions on Cyber Security Directions of 28 April 2022](https://www.cert-in.org.in/PDF/FAQs_on_CyberSecurityDirections_May2022.pdf) Government 4. [DoT: relaxation in obtaining the OTP-based signature in the D-KYC process (July 2024)](https://dot.gov.in/sites/default/files/Relaxation%20in%20obtaining%20OTP%20based%20signature%20in%20D-KYC%20process.pdf) Government 5. [DoT: instructions on verification of new mobile subscribers (August 2012), via Sanchar Saathi](https://www.sancharsaathi.gov.in/SancharSaathiDocuments/ImportantDocuments/DoT%20instructions%20on%20Verification%20of%20New%20Mobile%20Subscribers%20-%20dated%2009-08-2012.pdf) Government 6. [Deccan Herald (PTI): government makes OTP verification optional for foreigners seeking a mobile connection (August 2024)](https://www.deccanherald.com/business/govt-makes-otp-verification-optional-for-foreigners-seeking-mobile-connection-in-india-3133280) News 7. [DoT: restrictions on the use of satellite phones](https://dot.gov.in/restrictions-use-satellite-phone-0) Government 8. [UK FCDO: India travel advice, safety and security](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/safety-and-security) Travel advice 9. [Smartraveller (Australian Government): India travel advice](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/india) Travel advice 10. [Vomhoff et al.: Challenges and Opportunities for Global Cellular Connectivity (2024)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.19706) Research 11. [Motallebighomi et al.: eSIMplicity or eSIMplification? Privacy and Security Risks in the eSIM Ecosystem (USENIX Security 2025)](https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity25/presentation/motallebighomi) Research 12. [COAI: subscriber verification process for foreigners](https://coai.com/international-visitor-aquaring-connection-in-india) Operator 13. [DoT: Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) guidelines](https://www.eservices.dot.gov.in/sites/default/files/2024-11/PM-WANI_Guidelines.pdf) Government 14. [IETF RFC 6238: TOTP, the Time-Based One-Time Password Algorithm](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6238) Standard Checked on 1 November 2026. Government, regulator and travel-advice pages come first where they exist; news outlets and research cover what officials don’t publish, such as which services are blocked. This page explains the situation; it isn’t legal advice. ## Know whether it’s the network, the country or you Kilobat is a Mac menu-bar app that checks your own line, the Wi-Fi sign-in page and the service’s status page, guards a hotspot’s data and reports on every call. [Download for Mac ↓](https://kilobat.app/downloads/Kilobat-1.31.1.dmg?via=site) ``` brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat ``` ## More countries - [China](https://kilobat.app/travel/china): Google, WhatsApp and many Western sites are blocked; Wi-Fi often asks for a Chinese number. - [United Arab Emirates](https://kilobat.app/travel/united-arab-emirates): Messaging works, but WhatsApp calls don’t; internet calls need a licensed or approved app. - [Russia](https://kilobat.app/travel/russia): Many Western services are blocked, mobile internet is often disrupted, and foreign SIMs may lose data on arrival. - [Turkey](https://kilobat.app/travel/turkey): Most tools work, but Discord is blocked, social media can be throttled, and phones need IMEI registration. - [Vietnam](https://kilobat.app/travel/vietnam): Most tools work, but Telegram is blocked and cable faults slow foreign sites several times a year.