Zoho's "Made in India" messaging app, Arattai, has witnessed an unprecedented surge in user traffic, marking a significant moment for the homegrown digital platform. The app experienced a 100-fold increase in traffic within just three days, with daily new sign-ups skyrocketing from approximately 3,000 to 350,000. This sudden spike in popularity has propelled Arattai to the top of app store charts in India, briefly surpassing established messaging giants like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal.
Arattai, which translates to "casual chat" in Tamil, was initially launched in 2021 as a side project by Zoho Corporation. However, it has recently gained mainstream traction, fueled by a growing preference for indigenous applications and the "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" initiative. The app's rise has also been attributed to increasing concerns surrounding data privacy, spyware scandals, and the dominance of Big Tech companies. Arattai's promise as a "spyware-free, made-in-India messenger" has resonated with users seeking secure and privacy-focused communication platforms.
The surge in Arattai's user base has been further amplified by endorsements from government officials, including Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Pradhan lauded Arattai as a "secure, user-friendly, and completely free" app developed entirely in India, encouraging citizens to embrace homegrown platforms. This endorsement aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to support "Swadeshi" or indigenous products, promoting the adoption of Indian-made apps like Arattai.
In response to the exponential growth in user traffic, Zoho is undertaking emergency measures to expand its infrastructure and address technical challenges. Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu shared that the company is adding infrastructure to handle potential future surges, emphasizing the rapid pace of digital adoption. The company's teams are simultaneously updating the code to fix issues as they arise, operating with an "all-hands-on-deck" approach.
Arattai offers a comprehensive suite of messaging tools, including one-to-one and group chats, sharing of text, images, and videos, as well as audio and video calls. The platform supports multiple devices, including desktop applications and Android TV integration, and features stories and broadcast channels. While voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted, chat messages do not yet have the same level of encryption. Zoho has acknowledged this limitation and stated that end-to-end encryption for chats is under development and will be implemented soon.
Despite the app's rising popularity, WhatsApp remains deeply embedded in daily life in India, with over 500 million users. Experts caution that Arattai's long-term success will depend on its ability to scale infrastructure, maintain stability under high traffic, and fully implement privacy protections, particularly end-to-end encryption for chats.
Sridhar Vembu has emphasized Zoho's commitment to long-term research and development, prioritizing this over short-term profits. He stated that Arattai would likely not have been built by a public company facing quarter-to-quarter financial pressures, describing it as a "hopelessly foolish" project that even Zoho employees were skeptical about. Vembu envisions India building its own tech ecosystem, with Arattai as a privacy-focused, locally hosted alternative to global apps. He has also made it clear that Zoho is not aiming for monopoly power with Arattai, emphasizing openness, interoperability, and user trust.
