A little-known Indian messaging app sees sudden surge in users as govt makes push for 'swadeshi'

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A little-known Indian messaging app, Arattai, has amassed more than 400,000 downloads in September, up from fewer than 10,000 a month earlier, as Union ministers rally behind homegrown technology alternatives to US platforms. 

The app's daily active users also crossed 100,000 on September 26, marking a 100 per cent jump in a single day, according to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

The sudden surge comes amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's renewed push for 'swadeshi' (indigenous) products following Washington's imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian imports in August. 

Several Union ministers have publicly promoted domestic apps as rivals to WhatsApp, Google Maps, and Microsoft Office. 

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently highlighted Indian alternatives such as MapmyIndia and Zoho, the Chennai-based software firm behind Arattai, during media presentations and in social media posts that have drawn millions of views.

All the same, the BJP-led government’s pitch for 'swadeshi' may not have tariffs as the sole trigger. 

Its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has for years campaigned against foreign goods, urging Indians to embrace locally made products as part of its nationalist agenda. 

The RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagaran Manch has repeatedly organised demonstrations in Delhi denouncing foreign companies and calling for greater self-reliance — a message that aligns neatly with the government's 'Make in India' and 'Digital India' drives.

Despite the recent surge in downloads, India’s homegrown platforms still face a steep climb against global incumbents. 

WhatsApp alone has over 500 million users in India, while X (formerly Twitter) counts more than 20 million active users in the country. 

Globally, newer entrants such as Bluesky have already crossed 30 million users, underscoring the scale of competition. 

India’s previous experiment with a homegrown social media platform, Koo, which briefly gained traction in 2021 amid tensions with X, eventually shut down last year for lack of funding — a reminder of how far Indian tech still has to go in building globally competitive digital products.

All the same, censorship and data privacy concerns may scupper the chances of any local WhatsApp- or X-style app achieving meaningful scale.

Over the years, X has received — and at times resisted — several government requests to take down posts critical of the administration.

Observers warn that a more pliant domestic platform could offer the government a freer hand in curbing dissenting voices and amplifying its own agenda.

Such apprehensions, coupled with India's patchy record on data protection, could make it difficult for indigenous platforms to gain the kind of credibility and global reach enjoyed by their US counterparts.