Sandes is an instant messaging platform that has been launched by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The app has been developed on the lines of WhatsApp. Sandes can be used for all kinds of communications by any person having a mobile number or email id.
Key Points
- The interface of the instant messaging app Sandes is similar to many existing apps.
- There is no option to transfer chat history from any platform to Sandes but users can back up their chats on government instant messaging systems or GIMS on their emails.
- Sandes has an additional safety feature that allows a user to mark a message as confidential.
- Thus, it will notify the recipient that the message sent is not to be shared with others.
- However, this confidential tag does not change the way the message is sent from one user to another.
- As a limitation of the app, it does not allow users to change their registered mobile number or email id.
- A user will be required to re-register as a new user in case they wish to change their registered email id or phone number on the app.
The Sandes app has been launched as the government felt the need to build a platform to ensure secure communication between its employees as they worked from home. Last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also issued an advisory to government employees to avoid using platforms like Zoom for official communication.
NIC released the 1st version of the app in August 2020, only for central and state government officials. Now the app has been released to the common public as well.
