In India’s tech world, novelty often wins attention but rarely longevity. Apps like Hike and Koo once generated headlines, yet ultimately withered. The lessons echo loudly for Zoho’s latest messaging entrant, Arattai. First, Indian developers tend to overload apps too soon piling in features and complexity rather than refining core purpose. Second, monetisation efforts often come prematurely: excessive ads, sponsorships, and paywalls sour user experience early. And most crucially, trust is fragile. With privacy norms loosely enforced in India, many users remain skeptical of data practices especially when apps don’t adopt “end-to-end” encryption or robust privacy defaults from the outset.

That distrust is compounded by lack of regulatory safeguards; apps frequently comply with government or advertiser requests for data, eroding user confidence. As a result, even when a homegrown app seems poised to challenge global giants, it struggles to retain momentum. For Arattai to avoid the same fate, it must resist feature bloat, delay heavy monetisation, and demonstrate genuine commitment to user privacy all while cultivating a culture of trust.