The name Arattai means “chat” or “conversation” in Indian Language Tamil. The app was soft-launched in January 2021, soon after WhatsApp announced updates to its privacy policy, and was widely seen as part of the “homegrown” alternatives movement in India.
📖 Meaning of “Arattai”
The name Arattai comes from Tamil, and it means something like “casual chat”, “chit‑chat”, or “conversation.”
This name seems chosen to emphasize a simple, everyday messaging experience.
🚀 Launch / Release / History
Developer: Arattai is built by Zoho Corporation, a tech company based in Chennai, India.
First public / soft launch: It was launched (or soft‑launched) in January 2021.
It was initially tested internally among Zoho employees before being opened to public use.
The launch timing coincided with concerns about privacy and changes in WhatsApp’s privacy policy, which drove interest in domestic alternatives.
🔍 Core Features
From Arattai’s official site and media coverage:
Text messaging (one-on-one and group chats) with media: photos, videos, documents, voice notes, etc
Voice & video calls (encrypted)
Stories / ephemeral media (similar to “Status”)
Channels / broadcasts (public or private) for announcements or large reach
Multi-device support (smartphones, tablets, desktop) and syncing across devices (up to 5 devices)
Importing conversations from other chat platforms
Business / account conversion features (like a business account mode)
Support for cross-platform (Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux)
⚠️ Limitations, “Work-in-Progress” & Caveats
Message encryption (end-to-end):
Voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted currently. But text messages are not yet fully end-to-end encrypted in the current version. This is something that Zoho says they aim to implement in the future.
Group / meeting size limits:
Some sources say Arattai supports scheduled or instant meetings for up to 250 attendees. Other sources suggest large groups up to 1,000 members for messaging.
Performance & background operation issues:
Some users report that Arattai doesn’t reliably run in the background on certain Android phones (battery optimization or phone OS restrictions interfering) — meaning notifications or message receipt may be delayed unless the app is actively open.
Regional access:
Some users outside India report that Arattai is not accessible in certain countries (e.g. in the UAE) — possibly due to regional restrictions or server access.
Data localization / infrastructure:
Arattai keeps data stored in India, and does not rely on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud for its back-end infrastructure.
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