Zoho’s Arattai Rolls Out End-to-End Encryption for Chats: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Much like WhatsApp and Signal, this means that even Arattai itself cannot access your conversations, reinforcing its promise of secure and private communication. The new encryption feature is now live on Android, iOS, and desktop, with users urged to update their apps to the latest versions to activate the upgrade.

Arattai End-to-End Encryption : Versions and Rollout Details

In a detailed announcement shared on X (formerly Twitter), Zoho confirmed that the update has been rolled out across all platforms. Once users update to the new app version, Arattai automatically transitions their chats to an encrypted session.

• Android: Version v1.33.6

iOS: Version v1.17.23

Desktop: Version v1.0.7

To help users verify whether their conversations are protected, Arattai has introduced a small shield icon that appears at the top of each chat window, next to the contact’s name. If you see this icon, your chat is protected with end-to-end encryption.

How Arattai’s Encrypted Chats Work

Unlike other messaging apps that simply add encryption to existing chats, Arattai takes a cleaner approach — it creates a new encrypted chat session once E2EE is enabled. The previous, non-encrypted chat becomes read-only and is automatically archived for reference.

Zoho Founder Sridhar Vembu explained that this design ensures every message sent after the update is fully encrypted from the start. However, older conversations will not be retroactively encrypted — they’ll stay visible in the archived section just as they were.

This move helps maintain chat integrity while guaranteeing that all new messages adhere to the latest encryption standards.

What Happens If You Don’t Update Your App?

Arattai is offering a short buffer period for users who haven’t yet installed the latest version. During this time, if one participant in a chat hasn’t updated, both users can continue messaging in the old, non-encrypted thread for up to three days.

After 72 hours, the platform will automatically migrate all users to the latest version, making end-to-end encryption mandatory system-wide.

“At that point, end-to-end encryption will become a system-wide mandate,” confirmed Sridhar Vembu.

So, if you haven’t updated yet, now’s the time — otherwise, your chats may be paused until the upgrade is complete.

Group Chats to Get Encryption Next

Currently, the E2EE feature applies only to individual (one-on-one) chats, but Zoho has confirmed that group chat encryption is under development. The company stated that encrypted group messaging will arrive “in a few weeks” for smaller groups initially, before expanding to larger communities.

Once rolled out, this will bring Arattai on par with top-tier messaging platforms that already support full encryption across both private and group chats.

Chat Backups and Future Updates

While the focus right now is on encryption, Zoho is also preparing to introduce encrypted chat backups — one of the most requested features from Arattai users.

Currently, backups for encrypted chats are not supported, meaning users cannot yet restore protected messages. However, according to Vembu, encrypted backups will be available within the next two weeks.

Alongside these privacy updates, Arattai is also planning a wave of new features aimed at improving user experience and data security, signalling Zoho’s continued investment in making the app a strong, homegrown alternative to global messaging giants.

Why End-to-End Encryption Matters

End-to-end encryption has become a gold standard for secure messaging, ensuring that no third party — not even the app’s own servers — can read user messages. By encrypting data before it leaves a device, E2EE prevents potential interceptions during transmission, providing users with complete control over their privacy.

For Indian users increasingly concerned about data safety and digital sovereignty, Arattai’s E2EE rollout marks a major milestone in the country’s growing ecosystem of secure, indigenous communication tools.