Applications
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.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
