Make way for India’s homegrown messaging application, Arattai, has just raced to the top spot in app stores, surpassing WhatsApp. The company took to X (aka Twitter) announcing, “We’re officially #1 in Social Networking on the App Store!” The milestone caps off a week of rising buzz around the app, fuelled by endorsements, memes, and a wave of patriotic downloads.

Launched back in 2021, Arattai, whose name comes from Tamil for “chat” or “chit-chat”, was initially seen as a scrappy side project by its parent company, Zoho. But in the age of AI anxiety, spyware scandals, and heightened scrutiny of Big Tech platforms, its promise of being a “spyware-free, made-in-India messenger” has suddenly struck a chord.

The app’s sudden surge in popularity is partly thanks to fresh visibility from gove

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