Frequently Asked Questions

We use TLS 1.3 with a perfect forward secrecy requirement for the negotiated ciphers for calls and file transfers. Messages are encrypted with an RSA key.

Jami is inspired by a Swahili word that means “community”. The name was chosen as it reflects the vision: to be a service open to all, to be community supported, and to respect the privacy of users.

The project was formerly known as “Ring” and “SFLphone”.

At CES the name change was publicly announced and the website, jami.net, was launched.

We felt the need to move to a unique name given our expansion and openness to the world. We decided to move towards a new identity: free, multicultural and universal in order to avoid confusion with other brands.

Here is an article from our blog about the transition between Ring and Jami:

https://blog.savoirfairelinux.com/fr-ca/card/ring-devient-jami/

To date, developers are doing their best to change the code that still refers to Ring.

Jami does not rely on any central server and your account is only stored on your device. When you want to use Jami with your account, you do not need standard login / password authentication. You also do not have to provide any personal information to anyone, such as an email or phone number.

By creating a Jami account, you will have a unique and customizable Jami username, allowing your contacts to communicate with you.

There are several options available to customize your account:

• An avatar
• A displayname
• A password. This password is used to protect the account archive on your device.

It is not possible to recover your Jami account if it is deleted from all your devices and you do not have a backup of the your account.

It is impossible to recover your account as your device (phone, computer, tablet, TV, etc.), not a server, stores your data.

There are two ways to back up your account:

1. To have the same account exist on more than one device, from the Settings menu, choose the Account tab, then choose Link another device.
2. Copy the account archives to a USB stick or to another location. With the Linux client, the archive can be exported from the Account Settings page. Visit this Wiki page for more details:

   https://git.jami.net/savoirfairelinux/ring-project/wikis/tutorials/Frequently-Asked-Questions#account-4

When you choose to link your device to another account, there are a few steps:

1. On the device which has a Jami account, enter the account password and a PIN will be generated.
2. When you click on “Link another device to this account”, the account will be sent on the DHT for 5 minutes and a PIN code is generated at this time.
3. Generally, in Settings → Accounts → Choose your account → Link another device to this account
4. Enter the PIN code on the other device.

Yes. You can delete your account by deleting the application or uninstalling it. Because your data is stored on your device, deleting the account deletes your data.

Yes of course. Originally, Jami was based on SFLphone, a pure SIP client. However, to use SIP (and the standard telephone network), you must first create a SIP account in the accounts settings.

You can not call a SIP ID with your Jami account at this time (and vice versa). However, you can have a Jami account and a SIP account at the same time (which allows you to skip these two types of calls), or just one of them.

You do not have to use a Jami account. You can delete, or not use, the Jami account created during the first execution of the client.

1. Go to your Jami account settings:

   1. On GNU/Linux and Windows, click the gear at the top right corner of your Jami interface and click the Account tab.
   2. On OS X, click Jami on the main menu of your Mac, and then click Preferences and the Account tab.
2. Add a SIP account
3. Under the list of your accounts, click on the arrow to the right of the Jami button, select SIP and click on the + sign
4. Enter your SIP settings
5. In the General tab, fill in the fields associated with the address of your server (IP address), your username (extension) and your password.

With a SIP account, security is not guaranteed by default. It depends on the SIP servers used. In order for your data to be encrypted, you must enter the security information associated with your SIP account. Indicate them in the Security sub-tab. During your exchanges, your correspondent must also have the same security options for them to be applied.

To make a call from your Jami account:

New contact:

1. Enter your correspondent’s username in the Jami search bar.
2. Validate by pressing on the Enter key on your keyboard.
3. Select the camera for a video call or the phone for an audio call.
4. Wait for your correspondent to accept the call.

Existing contact

1. Select your contact, which appears in the left bar.
2. For an audio call, select the phone. For a video call, select the camera.

To receive a call on your Jami account:

1. Wait for your correspondent to call you.
2. Accept the call by clicking on the icon with a green phone.

** You can also configure “automatic answer” in the settings **

1. Start a video or audio call with a contact.
2. Click on the "Add participant" button.
3. Select the participant to be added to the conference.
4. Your device is now hosting the conference.

1. During a call, right-click on the video call screen.
2. Select the “Screen Sharing” option.
3. Your screen is now shared.

Rendezvous point allows you to turn a Jami account into a conference server. To create a Rendezvous point:

1. Go to the account creation wizard.

   Note: if you already have a Jami account on your device, you can access the account creation wizard by clicking on your existing (top left-hand corner or top right-hand corner depending on your platform) and then "Add account".

2. Select "Create a Rendezvous point".
3. Optionally choose a name for your Rendezvous point so that other users can easily search and find it.
4. Once created, you can now send invitation requests or share your identifier with other Jami users.
5. To join a Rendezvous point, simply call it from a Jami account as you would call a contact, even if your Jami account and your Rendezvous point are on the same device.
6. Manage the layout of the Rendezvous directly from any other Jami account available on the same device.