Zoho's Arattai to roll out mandatory end-to-end encryption, says cofounder Sridhar Vembu

Zoho’s messaging app Arattai is about to get a major security boost, as cofounder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu confirmed that the platform will soon use mandatory end-to-end encryption across its system.

Earlier this month, Vembu asked users how they felt end-to-end encryption should be applied across Arattai and offered two choices: system-wide protection or letting people select which chats should use it.

Giving an update, Vembu posted on X, “Status on Arattai: we decided to go with option 2 which is mandatory system wide end to end encryption (starting with one on one messages and groups will follow later).”



He explained that this shift needed major redesign work and that the team wanted thorough testing because it was a drastic change. He added that around 6,000 employees are currently testing the new system.

“We identified some issues and have fixed them. We are doing one more round of testing on a new build that has fixed the issues identified,” he said.

Vembu added, “If all goes well, we plan to deploy in a few days. It will be a forced upgrade for all because it is a drastic change.”

Vembu also said that the app already contains code for mandatory end-to-end encryption, but it will not be activated until the company turns it on after further testing. This update will be one of the most important changes since Arattai launched.

Earlier, when Arattai had dropped out of the top 100 apps list, Vembu had said that this was normal, adding that the team remained focussed on the product.

In September, Arattai briefly reached the top of India’s app stores, overtaking WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal as many users downloaded local digital platforms. Launched in 2021, Arattai, meaning “chat” in Tamil, was initially considered a niche project.