Will it replace WhatsApp?: Arattai Gains Popularity with ‘Made-in-India’ Identity, But Lacks Chat Encryption
A new messaging app called Arattai has been launched in India to challenge the popularity of WhatsApp. Developed by Zoho, this app has emerged as a domestic alternative to WhatsApp. Arattai means casual chat in Tamil. It offers features like text messaging, voice and video calls, and media sharing.
These days, WhatsApp is so much a part of our life that it's getting hard to even dream about a day without it. In India, it has emerged as the first choice for every little and large chat. Be it family chats or office news, you will hear the phrase "Let's form a WhatsApp group" everywhere. WhatsApp boasts of more than 500 million users in India alone, but did you know that a 'Made-in-India' messaging app has recently been introduced to take on this dominance?
Yes, a new messaging application named Arattai has come forth to take on WhatsApp. Within a short span of time, the app has overthrown WhatsApp to emerge as the top app in the Apple App Store.
This messaging app, developed by Zoho, is aiming to become a domestic alternative to WhatsApp. 'Arattai' means 'casual chat' in Tamil. The app is designed for everyday conversations and features text messaging, voice and video calls, media sharing, stories, and channels.
The app also features end-to-end encryption for calls, although this feature is not yet available for messages. The company says this feature will soon be rolled out to messages as well.
WhatsApp has a deep network in India, and even before Arattai's arrival, several apps like Hike, Telegram, and WeChat have attempted to challenge WhatsApp, but they were never successful. However, despite WhatsApp's popularity, Arattai is currently receiving significant attention. The app's "Made-in-India" tag and the support of government ministers are giving it a distinct identity.
Like WhatsApp, Arattai offers several impressive features, including multi-device support, apps for desktop and Android TV, stories, and channels. This means it's not just limited to chatting but can also offer a mini social networking experience.
However, one major drawback is that the app currently doesn't offer end-to-end encrypted chats. Until this feature is launched, Arattai will remain a strong challenger but won't become a true alternative to WhatsApp.
