Sandes, also known as the Government Instant Messaging System (GIMS), is an indigenous, open-source-based messaging platform developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Started in 2019 as GIMS and rebranded 'Sandes' in February 2021, it was built under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat / Make in India initiative to give government departments a secure, homegrown alternative to foreign-owned platforms like WhatsApp. The app runs on Android, iOS and the web, and supports one-to-one and group text messaging, voice and video calls, and file/media sharing. Users sign up with a mobile number or email and log in via OTP. Messaging features include message forwarding, forward-to-mail, broadcast, encrypted backup, text customization and 'tags' that mark messages as Confidential, Priority or Auto-Delete. Official groups can hold up to 200 members and casual groups up to 50. Sandes is also integrated with other NIC services such as NIC email, DigiLocker and eOffice, and is promoted as a secure channel for OTPs, alerts and notifications. A core selling point is data localization: Sandes is hosted exclusively on Indian government infrastructure, keeping strategic control and data within the country. The platform advertises end-to-end encryption for messages and calls, encrypted backups and encrypted OTP delivery. The app is free with no advertisements. In practice, full features are restricted to government-verified users, who must be onboarded through their department's Nodal officer. General public adoption remains limited compared to mainstream apps, and users report OTP delivery glitches, permission restrictions on messaging, and feature gaps versus WhatsApp. It competes conceptually with WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal but is primarily positioned for official government communication.
National Informatics Centre (NIC)
4.1/5 on Google Play Store, India (4.09 unrounded, 19,728 ratings, gl=IN, verified 2026-09-13) · Last verified 2026-09-13
Yes. Sandes (GIMS) is completely free with no advertisements — it's built and run by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under MeitY as a public service, not a commercial product with a paid tier.
Sandes is run by NIC under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and its data is hosted exclusively on Indian government infrastructure rather than a private company's servers. It advertises end-to-end encryption for messages, calls, encrypted backups and OTP delivery. That said, we could not find any publicly released independent security audit of Sandes's encryption implementation — unlike, say, Signal's protocol, which has been externally reviewed — so treat the encryption claims as vendor-stated rather than third-party verified.
Not easily — this is the app's biggest practical limitation. Full features, including the government directory and larger groups, are restricted to government-verified users who are onboarded through their department's Nodal officer. General public adoption remains very limited compared to WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal, so most of your existing contacts almost certainly aren't on it.
4.1★ (4.09 unrounded) from 19,728 ratings, checked on the India storefront (gl=IN) on 13 September 2026, package in.nic.gimkerala. The package name still carries "gimkerala" — a holdover from the original Kerala GIMS pilot the national Sandes app was built on — even though the listing itself is titled "Sandes" and published by National Informatics Centre. That's close to the 19,673-rating figure recorded at this listing's last check on 24 August 2026, i.e. normal short-term drift, not a real quality shift.
No indication of that. As of today it's still live and downloadable on both the Play Store and Apple App Store under the Sandes name, and NIC's onboarding site (sandes.gov.in) is reachable. We found no news reports of a shutdown.
Not for features — Sandes doesn't outdo WhatsApp there. The case is data control: your messages sit on Indian government infrastructure instead of Meta's servers, which mainly matters for government employees, official communication, DigiLocker/eOffice integration, and receiving OTPs or alerts through a government-run channel. For everyday personal chat, WhatsApp's far larger network makes it more practical — Sandes only pays off once the people you need to reach are also on it, which today mostly means other government users.
Yes — it's available on iOS, Android and the web. The App Store listing (id1517976582) was live and reachable as of today's check.
Hand-picked videos to help you get started — tutorials, demos, and reviews.
How to Use Sandes Messaging App for Secure Chats | Full Tutorial & Privacy Features
How To Fix Sandes App not working | Not Open | Space Issue | Network & Permissions Issue
Sandes App Kya Hai Aur Kaise Use Kare? I Alternative Of WhatsApp | How To Download Sandes App
SANDES App of Government - Whatsapp no more required. Employee and Public can use for secured messages
Sandes is a powerful Indian alternative to these international apps:
Yes, Sandes by National Informatics Centre (NIC) is an Indian alternative to WhatsApp. It offers similar functionality while being developed and maintained in India.Explore other Indian alternatives to WhatsApp →
Yes, Sandes by National Informatics Centre (NIC) is an Indian alternative to Telegram. It offers similar functionality while being developed and maintained in India.Explore other Indian alternatives to Telegram →
Yes, Sandes by National Informatics Centre (NIC) is an Indian alternative to Signal. It offers similar functionality while being developed and maintained in India.Explore other Indian alternatives to Signal →
Jio Platforms Limited
JioSafe is an ultra-secure messaging and calling app by Reliance Jio with quantum-resistant encryption and a 5-level protection architecture. End-to-end encrypted voice and video calls, Secure Rooms for group video (up to 5), rich messaging with stickers, voice notes, and encrypted file sharing. True Secure status activates on Jio 5G with mutual authentication. Free tier with Rs 199/month premium. Signal alternative.
Zoho Corporation
Arattai — the free Indian WhatsApp alternative built by Zoho in Chennai, with 10M+ installs on Google Play (verified) after a viral surge from its September 2025 relaunch. Made-in-India messaging app: text, voice notes, voice and video calls, photo and document sharing, Stories, group chats, and 1-tap WhatsApp chat migration. Ad-free, no tracking, no in-app purchases, data stored on Indian servers. Privacy-first WhatsApp and Telegram alternative for India.
Jio Platforms
JioChat — the free Indian WhatsApp alternative from Reliance Jio with 50M+ downloads. Made-in-India messaging app: HD voice and video calls, text messaging, group chats up to 500 members, branded channels, conference rooms, stickers, GIFs, and media sharing. Supports 10 Indian languages — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati and more. Integrates with JioTV, JioCinema, and JioSaavn. Pre-installed on Jio devices. Indian alternative to WhatsApp and Telegram.
Tepnot Technologies (OPC) Private Limited
Tepnot is an Indian social app from Surat, Gujarat — a feed of posts and photos, short-video "Shots," live streaming (Single, Battle 1v1/2v2, and Guest Live), plus built-in private/group chat and HD calls. It is closer to Instagram-plus-live-streaming than to WhatsApp; messaging is one feature inside it, not the product. Free with ads and in-app purchases, 10L+ Play downloads, 4.3 from 27,134 Play reviews and 4.3 from 84 App Store India ratings.
Bobble AI
Bobble AI is an Indian AI-powered mobile keyboard from Gurugram, used by 100M+ Android and iOS users. Type in 120+ languages with Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi and other Indic transliteration, swipe and voice input. Send personalised bobblehead stickers built from your selfies, plus GIFs, memes and festival themes. AI Summary, AI Reply and AI Translate sit inside the keyboard. 100% free, no premium tier.
Chatwoot Inc.
Chatwoot is an Indian-founded open-source customer engagement platform with 22,000+ GitHub stars — unified inbox for live chat, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram. Built-in Captain AI agent, automated workflows, internal notes, and CSAT surveys. Self-host free under MIT License or cloud plans from $19/agent/month. Privacy-first Intercom and Zendesk alternative.
