Sandes App A new indigenously developed alternative to WhatsApp is now being used by some government officials. The app, called Sandes, was announced the previous year by the Indian government as an alternative to WhatsApp and is now being beta tested by the government officials to look for any bugs and give feedback. The gims.gov.in page for the app offers some insight into the app, including the log-in methods that will be available. Although, the details of these clickable options are classified, as the portal is encrypted and only selected government officials can access them. It was initially speculated that the app would be called GIMS (Government Instant Messaging System) but has instead been christened with a local name.