Arattai Now Lets You Verify Your Identity With Aadhaar — Here’s Everything That Changed
Zoho’s homegrown messenger just added an Aadhaar-linked verification layer to fight impersonation and spam, without storing a single Aadhaar detail on its servers.
Chennai-based Zoho has added a new layer of trust to Arattai, its instant messaging app. The company has rolled out Aadhaar-based identity verification, aimed squarely at a problem every messaging platform eventually runs into: people pretending to be someone they’re not.
The idea is simple. Verify your identity once through the Aadhaar app, and your Arattai profile gets a permanent green check mark that tells everyone you are who you say you are. The feature is entirely optional, and Zoho has been explicit that Arattai does not store any Aadhaar information on its end — the verification happens, the confirmation comes back, and that’s where it stops.
“By introducing an optional Aadhaar verification layer, we are delivering a reliable space without adding unnecessary friction to the user experience,” said Jeri John, Global Product Head, Arattai.
Arattai’s existing verification tiers haven’t gone anywhere — they now simply sit alongside the new green badge. A blue badge still marks standard verified profiles, and a grey badge still identifies official government accounts. With Aadhaar verification in place, users also get the option to restrict incoming messages to verified accounts only, which effectively lets people opt out of spam and unsolicited messages altogether.
Alongside the identity layer, Zoho also rolled out end-to-end encryption for individual chats and broadcasts, plus encrypted chat backups for the cloud.
Why This Matters Right Now
Arattai has actually been around since 2021, quietly building in the background. It wasn’t until late 2025 that it found the spotlight — and the reasons had less to do with app features and more to do with geopolitics.
When the United States announced tariffs on India over its oil trade with Russia, a handful of foreign technology companies suspended services to Indian clients. Microsoft was among the most prominent, pausing cloud and productivity services to Nayara Energy. Access was eventually restored, but the episode left a mark — it got people asking uncomfortable questions about how dependent Indian businesses and citizens had become on foreign platforms, and whether the country needed to build its own alternatives in earnest.
That question found an answer, at least partly, in a wave of “swadeshi” adoption. Union ministers including Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan began publicly using Indian-made apps, and Arattai — Tamil for “chat” — was one of the names that stuck. A separate incident, where Meta briefly withheld a video message from the Prime Minister to NEET protestors on Facebook, only added to the argument that relying entirely on foreign-owned platforms carries its own risks.
What Arattai Actually Offers
Functionally, Arattai looks a lot like the messaging apps people already use daily — text, voice notes, photos, documents, audio and video calls, and story-style posts. What sets it apart is the infrastructure underneath and a set of privacy-first defaults.
| Feature | What It Does |
|---|---|
| End-to-end encryption | Covers individual chats and broadcasts, added after early 2026 when the app initially launched without it |
| Encrypted chat backup | Backs up to Google Drive or iCloud, locked behind a personal password or recovery code |
| Hide Phone Number | Masks your contact number from other members in public groups |
| Click to Chat | Lets businesses set up a direct chat link for customers |
| Delete Group | Permanently wipes an inactive community’s chat history |
| Local data infrastructure | Built on Zoho’s own full-stack infrastructure, keeping chats and files within a self-contained ecosystem |
| Multilingual support | Available in 10 Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Gujarati and Odia |
The Three Verification Tiers
| Badge | Who It’s For | How It’s Earned |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Individual users who complete identity verification | Aadhaar app verification, including facial authentication |
| Blue | Standard verified profiles | Arattai’s existing (pre-Aadhaar) verification process |
| Grey | Official government accounts | Government entity confirmation by Arattai |
How To Get Aadhaar Verified On Arattai
The whole process takes just a few minutes and happens entirely through the Aadhaar app — Arattai never asks you to type in or upload any Aadhaar document directly.
- Open the Arattai app and tap the three vertically-aligned dots in the top-right corner of the Chats screen.
- From the menu, scroll down and tap Settings, then tap the Get Verified button that appears just below your profile photo.
- Tap Verify with Aadhaar app, then follow the on-screen prompts and tap Approve to continue.
- In the Aadhaar app, match your full name, complete facial authentication, and tap Approve again. Once verified, a green badge appears below your Arattai profile photo, and the process is complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does Arattai store my Aadhaar details after verification?
No. Zoho has stated that Arattai does not store any Aadhaar information on its servers. The verification happens through the Aadhaar app itself, and Arattai only receives confirmation that the check was successful.
2. Is Aadhaar verification mandatory to use Arattai?
No, it’s entirely optional. You can continue using Arattai without verifying, though you’ll miss out on the green badge and the option to restrict incoming messages to verified accounts only.
3. What’s the difference between the green, blue and grey badges?
Green is earned through Aadhaar-based identity verification for individual users. Blue marks profiles verified through Arattai’s standard (non-Aadhaar) process. Grey is reserved for official government accounts.
4. Can I block messages from unverified users after getting verified?
Yes. Once verified, Arattai gives you the option to receive messages only from other verified accounts, which is designed to cut down on spam and impersonation attempts.
5. Does Arattai support languages other than English and Hindi?
Yes. Arattai currently supports 10 Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Gujarati and Odia, alongside English.
