Last updated on January 31st, 2023 at 04:10 pm
Sandes app is an open source-based indigenous instant messaging platform developed by NIC, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India to facilitate instant messaging communication in Government organizations. It is hosted exclusively at Government infrastructure. It supports end-to-end encrypted messaging and encrypted backup and encrypted OTP service. Its privacy and data policy is governed by the rules and regulations of the Government of India. Sandes can be integrated with other Government communications systems for sending encrypted messages without any cost. Currently, Sandes is integrated with NIC email, DigiLocker, and e-office.
At present, full features of Sandes app are available only to Government verified users. Employees of the Government organizations need to contact the Nodal officer of their Ministry/ Department for verification.
Sandes, which is the Indian government’s instant messaging app, is now accessible to everyone. Previously, it was only available for government officials. The app, which has been launched by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), gives a boost to PM Narendra Modi’s Digital India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative.
Download Sandes App for Android and Apple iPhone
Types of Users on Sandes App
The different types of users on the Sandes portal and their responsibilities are listed below:
- Ministry Admin
- Organization Administrator (O Admin)
- Organization Unit Administrator (OU Admin)
1. Ministry Admin
Every Ministry will have a designated administrator known as Ministry Admin having primary
responsibility as below:
• creating a new Organisation, updating its profile, and deleting it from the system (if required).
• making Organisation Admin, i.e., onboarding and employee of Organisation and granting him Organization Admin rights.
2. Organisation Administrator (O Admin)
Every Organisation will have a designated administrator known as Organisation Admin (O
Admin) having primary responsibility as below:
- Creating a new Organisation Unit, updating its profile, setting profile visibility at the Organisation level, and deleting Organisation from the system (if required).
- Making Organisation Unit Admin, i.e., onboarding and employee of Organisation Unit and granting him Organisation Unit Admin rights.
3. Organisation Unit Administrator (OU Admin)
Every OU will have a designated moderator/administrator known as OU Admin who will have
the primary responsibility as below:
- Onboarding of the users on the platform (individually or in bulk).
- Profile management of employees including editing profiles, editing photos, transfer, and offboarding.
- Verification of employees of the respective OU who are self-registered on Sandes App.
- Role allocation to employees (access management).
- Official group management (group creation, adding/removing members, dispersal).
Note 1: The onboarding of a new Ministry, updating its profile, and deleting Ministry from the system on a request, basis will be done by the System Administrator.
Note 2: Making Ministry Admin, i.e., for onboarding an employee of Ministry and granting him Ministry Admin rights/revoking his Ministry admin rights will also be done by the System
Administrator.
Sandes App Features
- Instant Messaging
- Audio & Video Calling
- Groups
- Members
- Broadcast Message
- Member wise status
- Heat map based on Chat activities
- Dashboard
- Support and App download center
- Sandes Web Portal
- Sandes Chatbot & Info Services
Sandes App Dashboard
Sandes App FAQs
What is Sandes?
Sandes is a Government Instant Messaging System developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
On how many platforms Sandes is available?
Sandes is available on:
➢ Android
➢ iOS
➢ Web-version (Desktop)
Can I transfer my chat history from iOS to Android device or vice versa?
Currently, there’s no option to transfer your chat history between iOS and Android. However, the Backup option is there in the ‘Account’ tab to save and restore your chats.
Who is an Organisation verified user?
Organization-verified users are those Government users who have been verified by their respective Organisation
I have registered on Sandes, but I am not able to view the group chatting option or Audio/Video calling on Sandes platform?
The group chatting and audio/video calling features on Sandes platform are available to all organization-verified users and to those users who have been invited to Sandes by any organization-verified user
Organization verified users
Users who have been verified by their Organisation Admin will have access to all features of the App.
Public /Government users invited to Sandes
Users who have been invited to Sandes by any Organisation verified user will have access to all features of the App except sending an invitation to Sandes
Public /Government users not invited to Sandes
Users self-registered on Sandes but have not been invited to Sandes by any Organisation verified user will have access to all features of the App except Audio/Video calling, Group chatting, and sending invitations to Sandes.
I am a Government employee. Why am I not able to view features of group chatting or
audio/video calling?
For a Government user to access group chatting or audio/video calling option, they should have been invited by an Organisation verified user or they need to be verified by their respective Organisation Admin. Please contact the nodal officer of your respective Organisation for verification. In case your organization has not yet been onboarded on the Sandes platform, kindly ask the competent authority from your organization to request the same by sending an email at support-sandes@nic.in
I am a Government employee and I don’t know the details of the nodal officer from my
Organization. What should I do?
In case you don’t know the details of your nodal officer, kindly send an email at support sandes@nic.in for the same.
Can I verify a user on Sandes platform?
Only Nodal officers or the admin of their respective organization can verify a user belonging to their respective organization.