Zoho-owned homegrown instant messaging app Arattai has rolled out a new feature that allows users to convert images into stickers. As per a preview shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Arattai, users can use their phone’s camera to capture an image and then get the option to convert the image into a sticker. Once created, the newly added sticker becomes available in chats, from where users can easily share it.
This is the second feature the company has rolled out in the past 10 days. On March 21, Arattai announced the rollout of a chat backup feature for its users. The feature allows users to back up their end-to-end encrypted chats to Google Drive on Android or iCloud on iOS and restore them when needed.
Arattai rose into prominence after IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Dharmendra Pradhan voiced support for India’s swadeshi alternative to WhatsApp. Following this, the platform saw a 100x rise in traffic within just three days.
The platform offered several features that were not available on WhatsApp. These included the ability to chat using a username without sharing a mobile number, a dedicated space to save and organise important messages, media, and notes in the cloud across devices, and a dedicated “Meetings” tab for creating and scheduling video meetings.
However, the app also lacked several features available on WhatsApp, such as payments, events, disappearing messages, and advanced chat security.
End-to-end encryption rolled out for individual chats
End-to-end encryption became a major deal breaker for Arattai when the app gained wider popularity. The company eventually rolled out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for individual chats in November. Now, all direct conversations on the platform are encrypted on the user’s device before they are sent. This encryption also applies to chat backups.
App saw a dip in rankings after early popularity
While fuelled by the government push, Arattai gained popularity quickly, it was not able to sustain that momentum. The app dropped out of the top 100 apps on both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store in November 2025.
At the time, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu addressed the dip in rankings, saying that such fluctuations in app store rankings are not a cause for concern but a normal part of product development.
He emphasised that the company is currently focused on building technology for Arattai that endures rather than chasing hype. However, the app is yet to return to the top 100 rankings.
