Indian Messaging App Arattai Has No End-To-End Encryption

India’s homegrown messaging app Arattai, developed by Zoho, is drawing both praise and criticism as it climbs charts. While voice and video calls on the app are end-to-end encrypted, text messages currently are not, a major privacy gap flagged by security-conscious users and media.

In its FAQ, Arattai states that “secret chat” mode offers end-to-end encrypted messaging, but regular chats do not yet enjoy the same protection. Zoho executives acknowledge that full chat encryption is in development and aim to roll it out more broadly soon.

The security deficiency places Arattai behind rivals like WhatsApp, which encrypts messages by default. Some analysts believe this could hinder adoption among users for whom privacy is non-negotiable.

Digital advocacy group Internet Freedom Foundation warned that unlike WhatsApp and Signal, Arattai lacks default end-to-end encryption and transparency.

With no white paper, technical documentation, or independent audits, users remain unaware of data collection or retention, it said. The group also urged privacy-first reforms, calling for encryption, transparency, and audit standards before India can claim true digital freedom.

Despite this, Arattai’s growth has been explosive. Its daily downloads jumped from around 3,000 to over 350,000 in three days, helping it top app store rankings. The app is part of India’s push for indigenous alternatives, and government officials have publicly praised it.

Recently, Home Minister Amit Shah announced on social media that he has switched to Zoho mail as part of the Swadeshi push to encourage the adoption of India-made technology solutions.