In this fast-paced modern world, almost all of us are using smartphones and computers to communicate with our family, friends, and Colleagues from anywhere in the world. All we need is just an Internet enabled device, like a Computer or Smartphone, so that we could easily send text messages, make audio/video calls whenever we want to our beloved ones at any time from anywhere instantly. There are numerous communication applications, both free and paid versions, are available on the market. In this tutorial, we will discuss about Jami messenger.
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Jami messenger
Jami, formerly known as Ring and SELphone, is a free, open source, and secure alternative to Skype messenger. Jami doesn't store your personal information in a central server, so you have full anonymity and privacy.
Jami usesTLS/SRTP to secure connection and communications over the network, so that the communication between the users is completely safe.
It is released under GPLv3, and is available for GNU/Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Android. Jami is developed and supported by a Canadian company called Savoir-faire Linux.
Install Jami in Linux
Jami developers have created an official repository to make the installation much easier. Depending upon the distribution you use, install it as shown below.
Debian 11:
$ sudo apt install gnupg dirmngr ca-certificates curl --no-install-recommends $ curl -s https://dl.jami.net/public-key.gpg | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/jami-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null $ sudo sh -c "echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/jami-archive-keyring.gpg] https://dl.jami.net/nightly/debian_11/ jami main' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jami.list" $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install jami
Debian 10:
$ sudo apt install gnupg dirmngr ca-certificates curl --no-install-recommends $ curl -s https://dl.jami.net/public-key.gpg | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/jami-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null $ sudo sh -c "echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/jami-archive-keyring.gpg] https://dl.jami.net/nightly/debian_10/ jami main' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jami.list" $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install jami
On Debian 9:
$ su - $ apt-get install dirmngr $ sh -c "echo 'deb https://dl.jami.net/ring-nightly/debian_9/ ring main' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ring-nightly-main.list" $ apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys A295D773307D25A33AE72F2F64CD5FA175348F84 $ apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ring
On Ubuntu 20.04 LTS:
$ sudo apt install gnupg dirmngr ca-certificates curl --no-install-recommends $ curl -s https://dl.jami.net/public-key.gpg | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/jami-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null $ sudo sh -c "echo 'deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/jami-archive-keyring.gpg] https://dl.jami.net/nightly/ubuntu_20.04/ jami main' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/jami.list" $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install jami
On Ubuntu 19.04:
$ sudo sh -c "echo 'deb https://dl.jami.net/ring-nightly/ubuntu_19.04/ ring main' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ring-nightly-main.list" $ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys A295D773307D25A33AE72F2F64CD5FA175348F84 $ sudo add-apt-repository universe $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ring
On Ubuntu 18.10:
$ sudo sh -c "echo 'deb https://dl.jami.net/ring-nightly/ubuntu_18.10/ ring main' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ring-nightly-main.list" $ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys A295D773307D25A33AE72F2F64CD5FA175348F84 $ sudo add-apt-repository universe $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ring
On Ubuntu 18.04 LTS:
$ sudo sh -c "echo 'deb https://dl.jami.net/ring-nightly/ubuntu_18.04/ ring main' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ring-nightly-main.list" $ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys A295D773307D25A33AE72F2F64CD5FA175348F84 $ sudo add-apt-repository universe $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ring
On Ubuntu 16.04 LTS:
$ sudo sh -c "echo 'deb https://dl.jami.net/ring-nightly/ubuntu_16.04/ ring main' > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ring-nightly-main.list" $ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys A295D773307D25A33AE72F2F64CD5FA175348F84 $ sudo add-apt-repository universe $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install ring
On Fedora 34:
$ sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://dl.jami.net/nightly/fedora_34/jami-nightly.repo
$ sudo dnf install jami
Fedora 33:
$ sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://dl.jami.net/nightly/fedora_33/jami-nightly.repo $ sudo dnf install jami
On Fedora 30:
$ sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://dl.jami.net/ring-nightly/fedora_30/ring-nightly.repo $ sudo dnf install ring
On Fedora 29:
$ sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://dl.jami.net/ring-nightly/fedora_29/ring-nightly.repo $ sudo dnf install ring
How to use Jami in Linux desktop
I have tested Jami on Fedora 23 KDE desktop and Android.
Create Jami account on Android
Open Jami application from menu. At first launch, you will be asked to enter your profile name.
Now, Jami app will create an ID named Ring ID for you. Ring ID is an unique 40-characters personal identifier number, like a mail id or phone number. You should share it to your recipients you want to communicate with. Also, ask your friends share their Ring ID as well.
Once you got the Ring ID from your friend, just add them to your Jami app.
To do so, copy and paste the Ring ID of your friend in the search box on the left top corner and click the Call button.
That's it. Start chatting with your friend as long as Internet connection is active on both sides.
You can make audio, voice, and text chats as the way you do in Skype and other messengers. It doesn't matter what device you use. All you need is an active Internet connection and the Ring ID of your friend.
Creating new Ring ID
You can create more than one Ring ID for you. It will be useful to communicate with different persons with different IDs. For example, you can use one ID for Family and another for business.
To do create a new ID, click on the Gear button on the top right corner.
Go to Accounts tab and click the + symbol.
Enter the name of the profile and you're done. Now, send the new Ring ID to your recipient and start talking. It's very simple.
How to use Jami in Android
Search Jami application on Google playstore, and install it.
Or you can install it from F-Droid, a non-official repository that has Free and Open Source Software applications for the Android platform. Download and install F-Droid apk in your Android devices and install Jami.
After installing Jami, launch it. The usage is very similar as like in the Desktop.
At first launch, you should create a new account.
To do so, tap on Create Ring account.
That's it, A new unique Ring ID will be created for you on your Android device.
To view your Ring ID, tap on the three horizontal lines on the top left. You will see your Ring ID.
Just share the ID to your friends and start chatting.
For Windows and Mac OS X, check the Jami download page.
Conclusion
Of course, We can use Facebook, Google hangouts, Viber, Facetime, Jitsi etc., to communicate with others. However, concerning about the privacy and security, Jami might be a good choice, and better alternative for paid applications.
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