Reliance backed Jio Platforms has decided to take the Zoom route and has officialy launched its own completely free video conferencing platform- JioMeet. Jio has been testing this app since May 2020, but it’s only now that the app has become available for downloading. For now, JioMeet is launched in India only.
JioMeet’s app design closely resembles that of Zoom. In fact, the new app is being ridiculed on social media due to the strikingly similar appearance, and one would say rightly so. The app might as well be Zoom’s twin.
But that does not mean JioMeet isn’t different.
One of the most striking JioMeet features is the time limit on free video calls, which has been set to 24 hours, as against Zoom’s 40 minutes. Moreover, as of now, there is no paid version of the app available and Reliance doesn’t seem very keen on providing one. The new JioMeet can be used to call 100 people at a time. It also supports up to 5 devices on one account. There’s also the ability to seamlessly transition between devices, along with a nifty little driving mode.
Other than these, most features such as screen-sharing and waiting rooms are pretty much in line with other western platforms.
The app is available on the Apple App Store as well as the Google Play Store.
In terms of security, Reliance describes the JioMeet app as secure. Security on video conferencing apps, though neglected for time immemorial, became a serious business as COVID-19 started taking over the world. Then came up those frustrating cringe-worthy Zoom bombing incidents, that almost permanently branded Zoom with the “unsafe” mark. Zoom has made efforts to address security concerns, but missed its own set deadline of a complete security overhaul.
There has been tremendous push in India for launch of home-made digital tech solutions. An alternative to Zoom/Google Meet was among one of those warcries. With COVID-19 bringing a paradigm shift in the way we work, need for a video conferencing solution has become of paramount importance. This has made the video conference market a lucrative opportunity for many companies.
Then there’s Indian government’s relentless push to promote home made tech solutions. The Indian government even banned 59 Chinese apps because of the threat they posed to user data, which has lead to the Indian populace seeking out Indian apps. In a nutshell, the timing of this launch is as good as it could’ve been.
