WhatsApp’s alternative Made in India Sandes App Live, download it like this

Sandes, the Indian alternative to WhatsApp, is now available for download as an app. The app has been launched by National Informatics Center (NIC). The new platform is an upgrade to the existing Government Instant Messaging System (GIMS), which was developed specifically to provide a WhatsApp-like communication experience to government officials. The Sandes app can be used by both government officials and individual users. It requires a mobile number or government email ID for sign-up. Once signed up, users can send and receive messages as well as create new groups. The app also supports transaction of media files.

Like WhatsApp and other popular instant messaging apps, the developer of Sandes (which can be read as Sandesh in Hindi) app claims that the app is end-to-end encrypted. The application can be used to send and receive messages or share media files with contacts. It also has the feature of contact sharing and group chat. Apart from this, users can also broadcast messages. Government sources have also confirmed to NDTV that the government is also working on an app called Samvad (which means conversation). A MITY official told NDTV that “These apps are being developed entirely by the Government of India. It will be an instant messaging app like WhatsApp.”

How to download Sandes App

Sandes App can be downloaded through the GIMS portal. It will run on Android 5.0 and above. For iOS users, the app is available on the App Store and supports iOS 12.0 and above.

To use, you have to use mobile number or email ID. The application sends you a six-digit OTP for verification. Email IDs are limited to government IDs only – If you sign up with a Gmail, Hotmail or other email account, you’ll see a notice saying you can’t use emails from these domains. Even government accounts like @mygov.in are not accepted. Only official @gov.in emails can be used in the app. If you do not have an email ID for this domain, you can use your mobile number.