Sridhar Vembu, cofounder of Zoho, recently highlighted significant progress in the development of Arattai, a privacy-first, made-in-India messaging platform. Vembu emphasized that Arattai is being engineered with patience, prioritizing optimal performance even on low-end smartphones and low-bandwidth networks (tested down to 8 kbps).
The app focuses on privacy, ease-of-use, security, and consistent updates—a promise underscored by Vembu’s daily involvement with the engineering team and Zoho’s commitment to scale infrastructure before a large marketing push.
What Makes Arattai Unique? Addressing Indian Needs
Arattai, which means “chat” in Tamil, brings core messaging features—individual and group chats, voice notes, media sharing, stories, and channels—while promising end-to-end encryption for calls and soon for messages. The app’s lightweight design ensures seamless usage across basic devices and slow networks, a critical consideration for digital inclusion in India’s diverse and bandwidth-constrained environments.
Current features include:
- Text messaging, voice notes, document and media sharing.
- Audio and video calls—with current encryption for calls.
- Group chats (up to 1,000 members), stories, channels, and multi-device support (including desktop and Android TV).
- Strict privacy—no user-data monetization and a pledge that personal details are not shared with third parties.
Update on our Arattai messenger app:
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) September 26, 2025
It is another example of our patient engineering approach at work. We have taken the time because we have to make it work in low end phones, low bandwidth networks (we test down to 8 kilobits/sec), offer outstanding privacy and security, and…
Aligned with PM Modi’s Swadeshi Tech Push
Arattai’s rise dovetails with the government’s growing call for “Swadeshi” or indigenous digital solutions. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have endorsed homegrown alternatives like Arattai, urging users to switch from global to Indian apps for messaging and productivity. This movement aligns with Prime Minister Modi’s vision for digital self-reliance, highlighting native innovation and increased control over user data, especially as Indian regulatory interest in digital sovereignty intensifies.
Zoho’s new app’s Indian roots and focus on privacy make it a flagship for the “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) digital ecosystem, offering a platform designed and operated entirely within the country.
Read this: PM Modi Urges Youth to Develop Indian Social Media Platforms for Digital Sovereignty
Surge in Adoption—and Growing Pains
After endorsement by government leaders and persistent updates from Zoho, there new app surged to the top of app store rankings in late September. This rapid rise brought new challenges. In a recent post, the Arattai team informed users about temporary service disruptions: OTP delays, slower contact syncing, and occasional call issues caused by unexpected server load. The company reassured users that server expansion and scaling efforts are underway, and normalcy should return in a couple of days.
Dear Arattai users, some of you may experience OTP delays/failures, slower contact sync, or call issues due to unexpected load on our servers. We’re expanding our infrastructure and should be back to normal in a couple of days. Thanks for your patience & support!
— Arattai (@Arattai) September 27, 2025
Zoho’s transparency about these scaling challenges echoes its commitment to continuous improvement as adoption widens—and as it takes on global giants such as WhatsApp in India’s messaging market.
Can Arattai Take on WhatsApp?
Zoho new messaging app’s rapid climb has captured public curiosity as a homegrown alternative to WhatsApp, currently with over 500 million Indian users. While it matches many core features and puts privacy front-and-center, users are still waiting for end-to-end chat encryption. Nevertheless, its performance on low-end devices, user-privacy philosophy, and swadeshi credentials have given millions of Indians a new messaging option built for their real-world needs.
Arattai’s evolution captures the spirit of India’s technology movement: deeply local, privacy-respecting, user-focused, and ambitious enough to challenge the world’s tech giants from the ground up.
