Arattai is now trending across the country for being a Made in India messaging app. Some Indian government ministers have already endorsed the app. But when it comes to messaging apps, one of the first questions people ask is about safety and privacy. Arattai is an Indian messaging app developed by Zoho Corporation. The word Arattai means “casual chat” in Tamil. Since its launch, many users have been curious whether the app is safe to use or not. So, in this detailed article, I will try to discuss the same matter.
Who created Arattai?
Arattai is built by Zoho, a well-known Indian software company that has been around for more than two decades. Zoho is trusted by businesses worldwide for its productivity and enterprise tools. So, Arattai is not a random app with unknown origins. It comes from a company that already handles sensitive business data for millions of users. I have been using Zoho Mail and Zoho Book for years with excellent service.
Security and encryption
Here is the biggest drawback. Unlike WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram’s secret chats, Arattai does not provide end-to-end encryption for personal and group chats. End-to-end encryption for messages is the baseline expectation for strong privacy in modern chat apps. Your message content could be accessible on company servers or otherwise readable by the service in certain situations. Metadata, who you chat with, timestamps, device info, can still be logged even when messages are encrypted. For sensitive conversations (legal matters, medical details, confidential business stuff), you should not assume full privacy on Arattai yet. These are not theoretical concerns. They are precisely why many privacy-conscious users prefer apps that protect both calls and messages end-to-end.
The only good thing is that your voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted. So only the caller and the recipient can access the call data.
Data storage and privacy
The app claims that user data is stored securely on servers located in India. For people who worry about their personal data leaving the country, this can be reassuring. Zoho has also been vocal about its commitment to user privacy. Unlike some global tech giants, Zoho’s business model is not based on advertising, so it does not have the same incentive to mine user data for ads.
Things to keep in mind
While Arattai provides strong privacy and encryption, it is still a relatively new app compared to WhatsApp or Signal. Some users, including myself, have noticed minor bugs like messages being delivered in the wrong order. Bugs do not always mean a security issue, but they show the app is still evolving.
Final thoughts
Arattai is safe to use if you are looking for a simple, made-in-India alternative to WhatsApp. With Zoho’s backing and its focus on user privacy, the app feels trustworthy and offers a smooth experience for everyday communication. It also comes with useful features like Pocket, multi-device support, and end-to-end encrypted calls.
But the lack of end-to-end encryption for text chats is a major drawback. This means your messages are not as private as they should be. For casual, non-sensitive conversations, Arattai works well and is convenient. However, if privacy is your top priority, especially for text messaging, you are better off waiting until Arattai adds full encryption or choosing a service like Signal that already provides it. Until then, Arattai should not be your go-to app for highly sensitive conversations.
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