Zoho's Arattai set to roll out end-to-end encryption; Vembu urges users to update

New Delhi: Zoho-backed homegrown messaging platform Arattai is poised for a big update with end-to-end encryption scheduled to be rolled out on Tuesday night, founder Sridhar Vembu said in a social media post.

Vembu said many more "cool features" on Arattai are in the works once "this big transition" is through.

"Please update the Arattai app from the Play Store/App Store and please encourage your contacts to do so. The end-to-end encryption will be enabled Tuesday night IST," Vembu said in a post on X on Tuesday.

He explained that users will be able to only exchange end-to-end encrypted messages if both they and their contacts are using the latest version of Arattai.

"If you are on the latest Arattai version and your contact is on the latest version, you will only be able to use end-to-end encrypted chat with that contact," he said.

In such cases (where both sides are on the latest version), a new end-to-end chat session will be created for that contact, and the old non-end-to-end encrypted chat session will be archived.

"So you cannot continue the old chat session with any contact who is in the end-to-end encrypted version of the app. The old chat screen will simply redirect you to the end-to-end chat screen," he elaborated.

For contacts who are in an old Arattai version, a user will be able to continue to use the old chat session only for three days. In three days, Arattai will upgrade everyone to the latest app, and at that point, end-to-end encryption will become a system-wide mandate.

In effect, these three days are a transition phase.

Group chats are not yet end-to-end encryption enabled and Vembu promised it will roll out in a few weeks for groups of a certain size.

"End to end encrypted chats will get a backup option in about two weeks," he added.

Arattai grabbed the spotlight a few months back amid clarion calls by ministers, founders and CEOs to embrace the made-in-India messaging app, the rapid daily sign-ups that followed, and widespread sharing and invitations circulating on social media platforms, including ironically, various WhatsApp groups.