Zoho’s homegrown messaging platform, Arattai, is gearing up for a major privacy upgrade that could make it a serious rival to WhatsApp. Founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu has confirmed that the platform’s much-anticipated end-to-end encryption (E2EE) feature is currently in its final testing phase.

Responding to a user query on X (formerly Twitter) about when encryption would arrive, Vembu wrote, “Yes going through testing right now. We are doing multiple rounds of QA to be sure.” His confirmation has stirred excitement among Arattai’s growing user base, many of whom have long requested this feature to bring the platform in line with global privacy standards.

For months, Arattai has been marketed as India’s answer to WhatsApp—a secure, Made-in-India communication app developed by Chennai-based Zoho Corporation. Despite its sleek interface and smooth performance, the absence of full end-to-end encryption for text messages had discouraged many privacy-conscious users.

Currently, all voice and video calls on Arattai are already end-to-end encrypted, meaning that no third party—including Zoho itself—can intercept those conversations. The upcoming feature will extend the same level of protection to text messages, ensuring that only the sender and recipient can read the content of their chats.

End-to-end encryption has become a gold standard in secure messaging, popularized by WhatsApp and Signal. It prevents even service providers from accessing message content, making communication safer against surveillance or data leaks.

Beyond privacy, Zoho appears committed to expanding Arattai’s capabilities to make it more than just a messaging app. Reports suggest that the company plans to introduce Zoho Pay integration, allowing users to manage UPI-based payments within the app. This move would place Arattai in direct competition with services like WhatsApp Pay and Google Pay, further strengthening its ecosystem.

In a separate post, Vembu also addressed growing concerns about India’s dependence on foreign-owned platforms like WhatsApp, which dominates the messaging market. He quoted a tweet discussing how essential apps like WhatsApp could potentially be leveraged or taxed as part of “critical infrastructure.”

Vembu wrote, “Sobering comment on how critical infrastructure like WhatsApp can be taxed. Businesses already pay heavily.”

The Zoho co-founder reaffirmed his company’s commitment to Arattai, stating, “We are in this for the long haul. We won't give up.” His comments underline Zoho’s long-term vision of building an indigenous, privacy-focused digital communication ecosystem that reduces India’s reliance on global tech giants.

Earlier this month, Arattai briefly topped India’s Google Play Store charts in the communication category, signaling renewed user interest. As of October 30, the app stands in seventh place, while WhatsApp holds third position.

With end-to-end encryption in its final phase and upcoming features like Zoho Pay on the horizon, Arattai is positioning itself as a strong, secure, and proudly Indian alternative in the messaging landscape.