Jio is a relatively new operator, entering the market as late as 2015. Since then, it has had a meteoric rise becoming the largest mobile network operator in India and the third-largest in the world with over 387.5 million subscribers. Its services span the entire breadth of offerings from voice to data and even home broadband, OTT television, and hardware.
So you can imagine why the launch of JioMeet as a direct competitor to Zoom would make headlines across the world.
Inside JioMeet
JioMeet hit the beta release on the 2nd of July, following closely on the heels of its parent company’s $15.2 billion funding over the previous few weeks. It falls squarely in the prosumer video conferencing app segment, much like Zoom and Google Meet.
The timing couldn’t be better – most professionals in India and elsewhere are working from home, requiring the frequent use of video conferencing technology. And, recent political tensions between India and China mean that the country has restricted the use of several software platforms HQed out of China.
But JioMeet isn’t meant only for consumers and casual users. It has several enterprise-grade features, as you will soon see in this review.
- Device compatibility – JioMeet works with the majority of devices out of the box, including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. There is also a web app for those logging in from Linux, as well as an Outlook plugin to help you launch meetings directly from Microsoft 365. In other words, we won’t have to wait for a protracted roadmap before getting support for our favourite devices
- Join-in from the browser – JioMeet lets meeting organisers and hosts generate invite links that can be shared with anyone. If you have a link, you can quickly join the call from Chrome or Firefox without any download or installation
- Video quality – Right now, JioMeet offers full high-definition 720p video quality which we would call adequate for most meeting scenarios. Its competitors have an edge here, with more advanced versions of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype giving you 1080p video. You could consider this a teething issue that will be addressed with future iterations and the launch of paid public releases
- Group meeting participants – This is one area where there is some work still to be done. You can invite up to 100 participants in a meeting – comparted to 500 on Zoom and 250 on Microsoft Teams. But keeping in mind that JioMeet is a 100% free app, we think this is a pretty reasonable constraint
- Meeting room connectivity – This is a major tick for JioMeet. Companies don’t need to retire or replace their existing video conferencing hardware to switch to the platform. It supports calling to the IP address of legacy endpoints, so you can continue to maximise your investments in video conferencing infrastructure
- Security and compliance – This could make or break JioMeet’s market success – the company has started off on the right foot, with password protection for calls, secure login for multiple devices, masking of your Personal Meeting ID, and meeting lock to prevent unwanted users from joining in. And like Microsoft Teams, it has a Lobby-like waiting room to control participant entry
Why JioMeet Makes a Difference
Jio has proved itself to be a market leader in several communication verticals, and its foray into video conferencing brings a compelling alternative for India’s massive digital user base. The beta release is free for use, ensuring that target consumers make that first critical app download.
It also helps that JioMeet packs in several handy hacks. For example, as a host, you can prevent others from joining in before you are on the call. You could also configure JioMeet to automatically mute participants on entry. Finally, we were impressed by the auto-call recording feature – particularly useful for long calls (JioMeet’s upper threshold is 24 hours).
What We Think
Okay, will the real Slim Shady please stand up?!
One can’t ignore the controversy surrounding JioMeet’s choice of UI design and its resemblance to Zoom. Zoom went as far as to put out a press release, responding with an amicable statement:
“Zoom has experienced intense competition since it was established in 2011, and yet we have become the platform of choice for millions of participants around the world”
As the feature review reveals, there is plenty of difference between Zoom and JioMeet. With the demand for video conferencing tech on the rise, there is plenty of room for another robust, multi-platform app in the market. However, it would bode well for JioMeet to shake off the early “doppelganger” UI and focus on a refreshingly original look-and-feel, as well as a truly individualised feature set.
