Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for. Explore Arattai Messenger, the chat app designed in India, which started trending in 2025. Know its features, security trade-offs, and compare its strengths with WhatsApp, including its roadmap and the ability to effectively replace WhatsApp. As a cross-platform messaging app, Arattai provides a user-friendly platform for all your communication needs. What can I use Arattai for? Arattai is a versatile communication app that lets you send text/voice messages, make audio/video calls, share stories, connect through groups and channels, and share images, documents, and media files. Arattai's username feature enhances privacy with strict safeguards, allowing users control while preventing mobile number leaks in groups. Arattai Messenger (or simply Arattai) is an encrypted messaging service for instant messaging, voice calls, and video calls, developed by Zoho Corporation. The name Arattai means chat or conversation in Tamil. The app was soft-launched in January 2021. [1] The app saw a sharp surge in downloads in September 2025, partially fueled by endorsements from Indian government officials. [2][3][4. Understand the challenge of competing against WhatsApp's established user habits and identity. Acknowledge the historical failures of Indian messaging apps like Hike and Koo in gaining traction. Note that user engagement is crucial; a chat app without users is ineffective. Zoho's Arattai to drop username feature amid WhatsApp controversy This comes amid a wider standoff between the Centre and messaging platforms over features that let users connect without sharing phone numbers.