Arattai App Surges to Number One on App Store, Fueled by Rapid User Growth

Arattai Messenger, the homegrown messaging application, has swiftly captured the attention of users, achieving remarkable growth. The platform reported a 100-fold increase in user traffic within three days, with daily sign-ups escalating from 3,000 to 350,000. This surge has propelled the Zoho-developed app to the top spot on the app store, establishing it as a significant competitor to WhatsApp. Sridhar Vembu, co-founder of Zoho, shared the news on X (formerly Twitter), noting the app’s exponential rise. He mentioned that the company is working on increasing infrastructure to prepare for future peak surges. Vembu also highlighted that the team is continuously refining the code to address any problems. The company’s initial plan was to release a major update in November, which included new features, enhanced capacity, and a large-scale marketing campaign. The sudden surge in user adoption has accelerated these plans. Arattai, which means ‘casual chat’ in Tamil, offers a range of features including chatting, voice notes, media sharing, group chats, and broadcast channels. The app, developed by Zoho Corporation in 2021, is now gaining mainstream appeal. The app’s appeal lies in its commitment to user privacy, which has become a primary focus for users. Arattai offers essential functionalities similar to those found in WhatsApp, such as text, media, and file sharing, in addition to encrypted audio and video calls, multi-device support, and Android TV integration. A key differentiator is Zoho’s commitment not to monetize user data. The increase in popularity of Arattai was influenced by the call for indigenous digital solutions by the Union Education Minister. The messaging app has seen a rise in popularity on social media, with many users dubbing it as a replacement for WhatsApp. The rapid rise in user numbers has put pressure on Arattai’s server capacity, which has led to some users experiencing issues. Despite these challenges, the company is focused on stabilizing servers and has accelerated its roadmap. While Arattai provides encrypted calls, it currently does not offer end-to-end encryption for chats. With WhatsApp having a massive user base in India, Arattai faces a challenge to fully replace WhatsApp.