Zoho's Arattai Takes On WhatsApp: Desi Chat App Launches THIS Feature To Boost User Privacy

Zoho's Arattai is planning to add another feather in cap as the app makers are planning to boost its privacy with a new feature. The application may soon bring the end-to-end encryption feature to keep the data on device only without any information storage on cloud, unless backup is specific, announced Zoho's Chief Scientist Sridhar Vembu on Wednesday, October 8.

As Zoho's Arattai positions itself as India's alternative to WhatsApp, the addition of end-to-end encryption strengthens its competitiveness against Meta's chat app.

Zoho To Bring New Feature In Arattai App

"End to end encryption keeps that data on the device only (no cloud storage, unless a backup is specified). So it is actually easier on our servers and lowers our cost to serve users. In case of back up, the encrypted device data is backed up but no server level features are provided (unlike Zoho Cliq, see below)," stated Sridhar Vembu in a social media post on X today.

He further informed that Arattai data is kept in cloud storage because business users and admins need search, filtering, archiving, integration and other functions. The data is managed by Zoho Cliq, from which Arattai started.

We are actually turning off that cloud storage in Arattai to offer end to end encrypted chat. The app makers are currently testing the feature and it might be implemented across the user base in the coming weeks, hinted Vembu.

About Arattai Application

Zoho's messaging app's name, Arattai, means 'casual talk' in Tamil. Initially launched in 2021, the application was dismissed even by its creators and employees as they doubted its potential. As the application is receiving heightened interest, its parent firm is planning to launch a significant update in November 2025. Here are the key features offered by the application.
The application was launched in 2021, but garnered spotlight few weeks ago after its daily sign ups surged from 3,000 to 3,50,000 in three days. The massive subscription of Arattai left many people see it is as India's answer to WhatsApp.

"We have faced a 100x increase in Arattai traffic in 3 days (new sign-ups went vertical from 3K/day to 350K/day)," said Zoho founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu in a social media post last week. While Zoho launched the messaging application in 2021, it is only in 2025, that it got a sharp surge in user base.

Arattai Key Features

The messaging application offers a unique feature called Arattai Meeting. It is a blend of WhatsApp and Google Meet, as users can create or join online meetings and view upcoming meetings or past meeting history. They can not only join the meeting, they can also record it.