Zoho’s chat messenger Arattai launces Android TV version

CHENNAI: The new year has barely stretched its legs and Sridhar Vembu is already pushing Arattai onto the big screen. In a New Year post on X, the Zoho founder announced that the privacy-first messaging app is now live on Android TV—turning the humble television into a video-calling hub and, perhaps, a nationalist soapbox.

The Android TV version lets users make one-on-one video calls and join scheduled meetings straight from their sofas. Built for big screens and remote controls, the app expands Arattai beyond phones and desktops, nudging it closer to a full-blown communications ecosystem. Zoho says this is just the opening act: more features are promised in future releases.

Getting started is deliberately friction-free. Download Arattai from the Google Play Store on an Android TV running version 7 or later, scan a QR code using the phone app—or punch in a verification code via a browser—and you’re in. No passwords, no fuss. Once authenticated, the app syncs instantly, listing live and upcoming meetings. One click joins the call; another mutes the mic. Recorded meetings sit neatly in a dedicated section, ready for replay. External webcams and USB audio devices do the hardware heavy lifting, compensating for camera-shy televisions.

The timing is canny. Over the past fortnight, Arattai has enjoyed a viral burst that would make Silicon Valley blush. Zoho claims seven million downloads in “seven days last week”, a sharp jump from fewer than 10,000 downloads in August, according to Sensor Tower. The app—whose name means “banter” in Tamil—launched quietly in 2021, but has now been swept up in a louder chorus: make in India, spend in India.

The government has been humming that tune with gusto. Prime minister Narendra Modi and his ministers have amplified the message amid trade tensions and punishing US tariffs. Dharmendra Pradhan, a federal minister, urged citizens on X to use “India-made apps to stay connected”. Others followed. Zoho admits the official nudge “definitely contributed” to the surge. Mani Vembu, ceo of Zoho, told the BBC that daily sign-ups leapt from 3,000 to 350,000 in three days, with active users jumping 100-fold.

Patriotism, however, is not a product strategy—at least not for long. Arattai may look and feel like WhatsApp, offering messaging, voice and video calls, business tools and low-bandwidth friendliness. Many users praise its clean interface and take pride in its Indian pedigree. But WhatsApp is not just an app in India; it is infrastructure. With roughly 500 million monthly active users, it underpins everything from family gossip to kirana commerce and government services.

History is sobering. Koo promised to unseat X. Moj was meant to replace TikTok. ShareChat once flirted with WhatsApp-sized dreams. All found that initial buzz fades faster than network effects for  dislodging a platform with billions of global users is a tall order.

For now, Arattai has gone large—quite literally—by entering India’s living rooms. Whether it can go deep enough to loosen WhatsApp’s chokehold is another matter. Big screens are easy to conquer; habits are not.