Zoom alternative, made in India: What is Say Namaste video meeting app?
Zoom meeting app has gained immense popularity during coronavirus forced lockdown.
However it has also been in controversies because of security related bugs. The Government of India also stated “Zoom is not safe”.
The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) has launched a challenging program “ Innovation Challenge for Development of a Video Conferencing Solution” to develop Indian-made video conferencing platforms for alternatives to Zoom and other meeting apps. The government announced the app development program on April 13 and Indian startup companies can do registration before April 30.
The price of the challenge competition is a whopping Rs. 1 crore.
Participating in a challenging program by the Government of India, Mumbai-based software company, Inscripts has developed a video conferencing application called “Say Namaste” as an alternative to the Zoom meeting app. Say Namaste is currently in the beta stage.
What is Say Namaste Video Meeting App?
Say Namaste is a web application. It can be accessed through a web browser. Users can make video conferencing calls using this web application. The web application is currently in the beta stage but it is expected that the app will be released for Android and iOS next week.
The website for the app currently has a note saying that they have been facing tremendous demand for SAY NAMASTE, hence users may face some temporary connectivity issues with the site, thereby requesting users to check back after some time.
Features of Say Namaste Video Meeting App
Say Namaste lets users make video conferencing calls and allow chat options.
Users can invite other users to a video conference call using a meeting link and a code. To start a conference call, the app seeks your permission for a video camera and microphone. However, you can mute audio and turn off the camera once you start a conference call.
Just like the Zoom meeting app in Say Namaste you can toggle between screens and can see other participants of a meeting.
As Say Namaste is in a beta stage, it may contain unpatched bugs. The app’s security features have also not been tested by the third-party security experts and after that only it will be secure enough for most use-cases.
But it is expected that in the upcoming weeks India will get its own developed video-conferencing application as an alternative to the Zoom video conferencing app.