Arattai, the desi messaging app, takes a different path from WhatsApp; here’s how

Imagine chatting with your relatives or buddies on your Android TV during your favorite show without needing your phone. That’s the promise of Zoho’s Arattai. This messaging tool has taken everyone’s notice overnight in India.

The app is now one of the top downloaded messaging apps on the Play Store. And, it is turning out to be a favorite among Indian users very fast. Zoho is now promoting Arattai as a Made-in-India substitute for WhatsApp. The app includes all the usual messaging features such as texting, calling, and file exchange. But there are some smart additions.

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What differentiates Arattai is its own app for Android TV. Its users are able to log in on their television and pick up conversations right on a larger screen. They can even make group chats or video calls more immersive.

Apart from TV support, Arattai also provides multi-device login on Windows, macOS, Linux, and up to five devices at once.

WhatsApp, on the other hand, does not currently support smart TVs, putting Arattai firmly ahead in terms of big-screen interaction for users.

Group calls on Arattai can also hold up to 50 people, a far cry from WhatsApp’s eight. This makes it an easy tool to use for families, communities, and work sessions. All of these without needing to use small screens!

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Zoho has designed Arattai with privacy. Chats are end-to-end encrypted while being transferred. And they don’t share your user data with third parties or advertisers. The app is also lean. This implies that it works well on low-end phones and slower 2G/3G networks. This is a big plus for people in rural India, who have connectivity and device constraints.

How Arattai app is different from WhatsApp

Whereas WhatsApp is the worldwide messaging behemoth with more than 3 billion users, Arattai is forging its own path in India. In contrast to WhatsApp, which secures all messages and media, Arattai encrypts voice and video calls only. Its servers are hosted in India. This renders it more locally oriented, while WhatsApp uses international servers.

Arattai also prioritizes simplicity and efficiency. File sharing is limited to 1 GB, group chats can accommodate up to 1,000 members. And, its UI is made to perform smoothly on low-memory devices.

WhatsApp permits slightly larger files and accommodates slightly larger group chats. But it needs a more stable internet and newer hardware for easy performance.

For business customers, Arattai has the standard channels and content sharing, with the business features of WhatsApp being more developed, such as payments, catalogues, and API integration.

Notably, Arattai is still ad-free, as opposed to WhatsApp, which monetizes user data for advertising within the Meta ecosystem.

The other distinctive Arattai features are personal storage in the form of Pocket. It has a Meetings tab and a “Till I reach” feature for sharing locations. WhatsApp, however, is centered around features such as Status updates, Channels, live images, and scanning documents.

Arattai might not yet possess advanced AI capabilities such as WhatsApp’s integration with Meta AI. But the app is gaining ground in India. Its emphasis on simplicity, privacy, and ease of use makes it a good fit for Indian consumers.