The growth of messaging apps has been faster than ever. Messaging apps make people stay connected no matter wherever they are. Indian Government has decided to go on their mission “vocal for local”.
The announcement by WhatsApp stating the change in its data sharing policy with Facebook has annoyed the messaging app service’s users worldwide. This new policy makes it mandatory for all WhatsApp users to accept the new privacy policy that enables the sharing of user data with its parent company Facebook. The new policy came into effect on February 8, and social media was filled with continuous news. Though, WhatsApp announced afterward that all communications on WhatsApp will still be end-to-end encrypted. From Jan 1 to Jan 6, there was a sudden 79% increase in Signal app downloads can be seen, according to a TOI report. We cannot deny that over the years, the continuous usage of WhatsApp has made us dependent on it.
Other Indian messaging apps will keep your data and information safe. Here are some of the best made-in-India messaging apps as WhatsApp alternatives.
List of Best Indian Messaging Apps
1. Indian Messenger App
2. Hike Sticker Chat
3. Jio Chat
4. Troop Messenger
5. Namaste Bharat
6. Share Chat
7. Sandes
1. Indian Messenger App
It is developed by Loopy time private limited. It is one of the most popular chat apps in India. Indian Messenger app has done its marketing on the “vocal for local” campaign and is used by over 130k users across the country. Its features include text messaging, calling, stories, chat requests, and a global search like Facebook or Instagram. It also competes with Twitter and Facebook having an interesting feature that allows users to share a message with an unlimited number of people. Indian Messenger supports images, videos, voice messages, and different file formats for seamless interaction.
2. Hike Sticker Chat
Hike Messenger, also called Hike Sticker Chat, is an Indian freeware, cross-platform instant messaging (IM), Voice over IP (VoIP) application. The hike was one of the oldest Indian messaging apps. It was built with the motto “building a new social future”. It was once the sixth-largest mobile messaging application in the world. The hike could work offline through SMS and has multi-platform support. Hike decided to go from a single super app strategy to a multiple app approach so that it can focus more on the core messaging capabilities. Hike Messenger was not an ad-driven application, nor does it sell the user data to third-party applications for revenue. Hike also introduced artificial intelligence (AI) powered Hike Moji that existed within the Hike Sticker Chat app.
3. JioChat
JioChat is an instant messaging application with voice and video calling capability. While Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are the two important choices for instant messaging, other chat apps such as Reliance’s JioChat made a mark due to their awesome features. One of the key features of JioChat is peer-to-peer (P2P) money transfer within the app. The feature allows JioChat users to transfer money directly to other users through chats.
JioChat features that are not available on WhatsApp:
Stories: JioChat comes with a unique feature called Stories. The section contains short videos from various genres, including news, food, entertainment, and more from sites like PinkVilla, Hindi Rush, and more.
Channels: JioChat gets a dedicated ‘Channels’ tab where you can follow popular brands, companies, and news publications to know the latest trends, news, and promotional offers.
Jio Care: JioCare channel lets you view your account-related information, IUC charges, and the latest Jio cashback and recharge offers. You can also troubleshoot your network problem using the bot.
Voice Assistant: JioChat doesn’t feature its Voice Assistant yet. Instead, it integrates Google’s voice search for you to search for contact names using voice. It can be useful for people who don’t want to waste time scrolling the contact list.
Theming Options: WhatsApp only lets you select chat background and switch between light and dark themes. In comparison, JioChat lets you change theme colors as well as font colors besides chat backgrounds, similar to what you might’ve seen in WhatsApp mods.
Delay Messages: There’s a unique feature called “Delay Sending Message” in JioChat settings. Using it, you can delay the delivery of your message by up to 3 seconds.
Moods (As Status): WhatsApp lets you add a short bio as well as post video and photo status updates. Now, while JioChat lacks the latter, it does let you set your mood as your status. You can choose between different moods such as happy, busy, tired, angry, and so on to let others know how you are feeling right now.
Group Limit: JioChat lets you create groups for conversations with as many as 500 people at a time. In contrast, WhatsApp allows only 256 people in a group.
4. Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger is one of the most premium quality Indian messaging apps. It is very much suitable for office communication. Troop Messenger is a user-friendly office chat app compact with contemporary features addressing your business needs and necessities.
It provided these features group calling, join now, remote screen sharing and controlling, instant messaging, video call and voice call, groups, wallpapers, help tile, settings, audio messaging, dashboard, orange member, profile, splashboard, burnout, live location tracking, emoji layout, sharing, read receipts, edit, respond later, flagging, search, search filters, unread messages, mute conversations, favorite users, message history, live-chat support, data record, storage, enhanced group profile, admin dashboard- groups, group controls, airtime groups, contacts management, integrations, and browser pop-out.
5. Namaste Bharat
Namaste Bharat is one of the most-searched Indian messaging apps. Namaste Bharat has features such as messaging, group messaging, audio and video calls, audio and video conferencing, collaboration, group messaging, setting up scheduled meetings, etc. Namaste Bharat has end-to-end encryption. All messages, photos, videos, voice messages, documents, status updates, and calls are end-to-end encrypted. There is no need to turn on settings or set up special secret chats to secure your messages. This top chatting app in India offers data synchronization across multiple devices to ensure that the user does not lose all their chats. Moreover, this Indian messaging app has exclusive features for businesses.
6. ShareChat
ShareChat is one of the fastest-growing Indian messaging apps. ShareChat has over 160 million monthly active users across 15 languages. The company’s application offers features that include private messaging, tagging, and a personal messaging feature, enabling users to share videos, jokes, songs, and other language-based social content with other unknown users. ShareChat made an Indian app and has become one of the most popular chat apps in India because of its multimedia-rich interface and design. ShareChat is a Facebook-style Indian messaging app that allows users to share videos, written posts, audio, etc. The reason for ShareChat’s popularity with its users is the local language access.
ShareChat has updated three new features that include private messaging, tagging, and a personal messaging feature that allows users to connect with other unknown users.
7. Sandes
Sandes is an app made by the National Informatics Center (NIC), Government of India. It is an update of Government Instant Messaging Services (GIMS). GIMS was limited to government employees only but Sandes is can be used by anyone. It has a lot of features that WhatsApp offers. It also provides end-to-end encryption like WhatsApp. Sandes can be downloaded from the GIMS website. Sign in only requires your mobile number or email-id and an OTP verification. Sandes does not necessarily require your mobile number, unlike Whatsapp. Also, it has verified accounts of government officials.
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