Indus by Sarvam: A first look at India’s homegrown AI chat app built for local languages

Sarvam AI has stepped into the consumer chatbot arena with Indus, a new AI assistant specifically for Indian users and languages. After unveiling its large language models (LLMs) at the India AI Impact Summit, the Bengaluru-based AI startup has now put those capabilities directly into the hands of users through a web and mobile app.

From waiting list to live access

Indus first appeared on the Google Play Store on February 19, but users were met with a waiting list. By February 20, access had opened up allowing users to sign in and begin chatting.

The app is currently in beta on Android, iOS, and the web and sign-in options include a phone number, Google account or Apple ID. 

Powered by Sarvam’s flagship model

Indus functions as the public interface for Sarvam’s newly introduced 105-billion-parameter model, unveiled alongside a smaller 30B variant at the summit. In conversation, the assistant identifies itself as running on this model, trained in 22 Indian languages and optimisation for local context. Its knowledge cuts off at June 2025.

Multilingual voice-first experience

One of Indus’ most striking features is its ability to handle both text and voice across multiple Indian languages. During initial testing, queries spoken in Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati or English were answered in the same language, including spoken responses.

During initial testing, the conversational flow felt natural, though some quirks remain. For example, numbers are often read out in English even when the rest of the response is spoken in another language, a small but noticeable gap in localisation.

More than a chatbot

Indus is positioned as a productivity assistant rather than a simple Q&A bot. Inside the app, users can:

- Draft and edit documents

- Upload PDFs and images for analysis

- Ask questions about uploaded content

- Generate summaries and explanations

- Use agent-like tools to automate certain tasks

These features align with Sarvam’s broader push into enterprise and device integrations, including partnerships announced with HMD for AI on Nokia feature phones and Bosch for automotive applications.

Early limitations

As with most beta releases, Indus comes with rough edges.

Users currently cannot delete chat history. The only way to remove conversations is to delete the account entirely. There is also no option to disable the model’s reasoning mode.

Honest verdict after a first session

Indus is not going to unseat ChatGPT for power users anytime soon. But for someone who thinks in Hindi, reads in Gujarati or wants an AI that understands Indian context without having to explain it first, this is a meaningful start.