Zoho's Arattai to soon offer WhatsApp-level end-to-end encryption
What's the story
Zoho's founder and chairman Sridhar Vembu has confirmed that the company's messaging app, Arattai, is getting mandatory system-wide end-to-end encryption (E2EE). The update is currently in its final round of internal testing and will be rolled out in a few days. This comes as a major architectural change for the app. The rollout will first cover one-on-one chats and then group chats.
Testing hurdles
Challenges faced during the testing phase
Vembu noted that while the underlying encryption protocol was stable, issues arose in the migration workflow and file transfer process when encryption became mandatory. These problems were encountered during testing by some 6,000 Zoho employees. "The issues we identified were in the mandatory switch-over process itself, and also in transferring larger files," Vembu explained in a follow-up post.
Internal assessment
New build addressing issues under evaluation
A new build that addresses these issues is now being evaluated internally. If this phase goes well, the update will be pushed to all users but as a forced upgrade for everyone. "It will be a forced upgrade on all because it is a drastic change," Vembu noted. Users who update the app today may see an improved interface but the mandatory encryption feature won't kick in until Zoho activates it from its end.
Public response
User reactions to Vembu's announcement
Vembu's announcement sparked a flurry of activity among users. Some questioned if the move was purely privacy-driven or regulatory-compliant, while others were curious about how older chats would be handled under the new system. A few responses also suggested that better marketing is needed to boost Arattai's visibility, with one user saying that having a good product alone "isn't enough unless people know about it." One community member said, "A rushed encryption rollout can create more problems than it solves."