Indian messaging app Arattai, developed by Zoho Corporation, has experienced a sudden and dramatic surge in usage over the past week, highlighting the rising interest in domestic digital platforms.
According to Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu, the app saw traffic increase 100-fold within just three days, with daily new sign-ups jumping from roughly 3,000 to 350,000 per day.
“Arattai” in Tamil translates to “casual conversation” or “chat.”
The surge has prompted the company to rapidly expand infrastructure and address technical challenges. Vembu shared on social media that Zoho is adding infrastructure on an emergency basis to cope with potential future spikes, emphasizing the exponential nature 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 was originally launched in 2021 as a side project, but it has now gained mainstream traction. The app provides a full suite of messaging tools including one-to-one and group chats, sharing of text, images, and videos, as well as audio and video calls. While voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted, chat messages do not yet have the same level of encryption. The platform also supports multiple devices, including desktop applications and Android TV integration, and features stories and broadcast channels for creators, influencers, and businesses.
Vembu explained that the current surge came earlier than anticipated, before a major update planned for November, which was intended to expand capacity, introduce new features, and support a marketing push. Despite initial skepticism internally, the company decided to push ahead with the project, which Vembu described as “hopelessly foolish” at the time. Even employees had questioned whether Arattai would gain traction.
The surge in downloads has been bolstered by public endorsements from government officials, which appear to have amplified awareness and adoption. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw encouraged citizens to move to Zoho’s Swadeshi platform for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, citing broader support for homegrown digital solutions under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Similarly, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan promoted the adoption of domestic digital tools, helping to propel Arattai to the top of app store charts in India. Social media discussions further fueled the app’s viral growth, with users comparing it to WhatsApp and other established messaging platforms.
In a post on X, Pradhan described Arattai as “secure, user-friendly, and completely free,” highlighting that it is entirely developed in India.
Despite the app’s rising popularity, WhatsApp remains deeply embedded in daily life in India, with over 500 million users relying on it for personal, professional, and commercial communication. Experts caution that while Arattai has captured attention, its 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.
(With inputs from ANI)