Published: February 18, 2021 4:25 PM IST
WhatsApp’s updated privacy policy has drawn a lot of flak in India due to the nature of data-sharing procedures. Even the Indian government wrote to WhatsApp to withdraw its updated privacy policy and to “respect the informational privacy and data security of Indian users.” Also Read - Today s Tech News: Samvad app release soon, Realme Narzo 30 series India launch date and more
Taking matters into its own hands, the Indian government is testing its homegrown secured messaging services called ‘Sandes’ and ‘Samvad’ and both these apps are currently in their beta testing phase. Also Read - Sandes app, Made in India WhatsApp rival, available on iOS: How to download and setup
Sandes app, Made in India WhatsApp rival, available on iOS: How to download and setup News Updated: February 17, 2021 3:36 PM IST
The Indian government has been urging users for a long time to use made-in-India applications. In fact, the government has also been pushing Indian developers to develop more and more Indian alternatives to popular applications like Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, among others. Also Read - WhatsApp might soon allow for easy chat transfer between iOS, Android
Since the short video platform TikTok was banned in India, we have seen several Indian developers introduce Indian alternatives to the platform. Some of the examples are Chingari, Mitron, Roposo, among others. The government of India now aims to take on the likes of the popular messaging platform WhatsApp. Also Read - WhatsApp might allow users to change colours in the app soon
Sandes App
A new indigenously developed alternative to WhatsApp is now being used by some government officials. The app, called Sandes, was announced the previous year by the Indian government as an alternative to WhatsApp and is now being beta tested by the government officials to look for any bugs and give feedback.
The gims.gov.in page for the app offers some insight into the app, including the log-in methods that will be available. Although, the details of these clickable options are classified, as the portal is encrypted and only selected government officials can access them.
It was initially speculated that the app would be called GIMS (Government Instant Messaging System) but has instead been christened with a local name.