Chingari launched in 2018, several years before most of the Indian short video apps it is now grouped with, but its moment came in June 2020 when TikTok was banned in the country. Downloads went from modest to millions within days as tens of millions of creators looked for somewhere to go.
The name means spark in Hindi, and the app was built around Indian regional languages from the outset rather than adapting to them later. That suited the audience the ban had displaced, much of which had built followings in languages other than English.
It later attached a cryptocurrency token to the platform, intended to reward creators directly for engagement, which made it unusual among its competitors. Whatever one makes of that, the core product remains a short vertical video feed of the familiar kind.
Why people save Chingari video
Forwarding is the everyday reason and the dominant one. A clip is wanted as a file so it can be set as a WhatsApp status or sent to a family group, and a link to an app the recipient may not have is a poor substitute.
Creators keep their own work, frequently because they post across several apps at once. Many of them lost an entire TikTok audience in a single week and have good reason not to trust any one platform with the only copy of anything.
And the feed cannot be searched backwards in any practical way, so a clip worth having is worth taking when you see it.
Saving a Chingari clip
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1
Copy the Chingari share link
Use the share control on the clip and copy the link. The app produces a short address, and full chingari.io links from a browser work as well.
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2
Establish the link in the box above
Paste it into the field at the top of this page, which starts reading it immediately.
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3
Take the clip offered
Chingari videos are short and vertical, so there is generally one sensible file with its size listed.
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4
Put it on the phone
Tap the row when it turns blue. It lands in Downloads on Android, ready to forward or set as a status.
The Indian short video apps, side by side
Several apps launched or grew in the same period for the same reason, and people frequently arrive with a link from one expecting another.
| App | Who is behind it | Where to paste its links |
|---|---|---|
| Chingari | Independent, launched 2018 | This page |
| Moj | ShareChat | The Moj page |
| Josh | VerSe Innovation | The Josh page |
| MX TakaTak | MX Player, later merged with Moj | The MX TakaTak page |
| ShareChat | The wider social network | The ShareChat page |
Each of these has its own page here and they do not accept one another's addresses. If a link does not work, checking which app it actually came from is the first thing worth doing.
Chingari download questions
Can I set a Chingari clip as a WhatsApp status?
Yes. WhatsApp needs a file on the phone rather than a link, which is exactly what downloading gives you.
Do the app's short links work?
Yes, along with full chingari.io addresses from a browser.
Is Chingari the same as Moj or Josh?
No. They are separate apps from different companies that grew in the same period. Each has its own page here.
Will there be a watermark on Chingari?
That depends on what the platform provides for the clip. Whatever versions exist are listed for you to choose from.
Does it work with live streams?
No. A running broadcast has no completed file.
Which languages does it support?
A wide range of Indian regional languages, which was part of its appeal. The language makes no difference to saving a file.
Where does the clip save?
Downloads on Android, the Files app on an iPhone.
Will the creator be told?
No. Nothing is reported and no account is used on this side.
A Chingari link has stopped working.
The clip or the account has probably been removed. Prepared links also expire if the page sits open a long time.
Is saving from Chingari acceptable?
Your own clips are yours. For other people's, forwarding with credit intact is normal use of a platform built for sharing; reposting as your own creation is not.