Indian tech company Zoho’s messaging app Arattai is rapidly gaining popularity in the country. Now, Zoho is preparing to add the end-to-end encryption (E2EE) feature to the app. Company CEO Mani Vembu announced in an interview, “Our app already has a ‘Secret Chat’ option where users can use encryption for private conversations. Although it’s not the default yet, our team is working to make it available to everyone soon.”

After its launch, several well-known personalities, including Anand Mahindra, downloaded Arattai. The app became so popular that it received millions of downloads within just one day of launch. Like WhatsApp, users can send text messages, documents, and images through Arattai, along with audio and video calling features. It also supports group video calls.

One of the key highlights of this indigenous app is that it works smoothly even on slow internet connections and low-end smartphones. The company’s co-founder Sridhar Vembu recently shared the news of Anand Mahindra downloading Arattai and thanked him for supporting a Made-in-India app.

Many users on social media are discussing the name Arattai. “Arattai” is a Tamil word meaning “casual conversation.” Zoho has developed this app especially for Indian users. The company also offers Zoho Mail, an alternative to Gmail.

Arattai provides several features that are not available on WhatsApp or other instant messaging apps. For instance, it allows group calls with up to 1024 participants simultaneously — a feature not offered by any other messaging platform. The app is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.

Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Dharmendra Pradhan, Nirmala Sitharaman, and Piyush Goyal have also endorsed Arattai. They described it as a homegrown alternative to foreign tech apps. Zoho hosts all its data within India and does not rely on advertisement-based revenue or third-party tracking.