Sridhar Vembu's Arattai scraps usernames as India tightens scrutiny of messaging apps

Zoho's messaging platform Arattai will discontinue its username-based accounts, becoming the first messaging service to publicly respond to the Indian government's heightened scrutiny of username features across messaging platforms.The announcement was made by Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu, who said the feature would be withdrawn to align with evolving regulatory requirements."We will be disabling the username based account feature in Arattai, to comply with the regulatory change," Vembu said in a post on X.We will be disabling the user name based account feature in Arattai, to comply with the regulatory change.Thank you ????— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) July 2, 2026 The decision comes just days after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) directed Meta to pause the rollout of WhatsApp's planned usernames feature in India until consultations on its privacy and security implications are completed. The government has also reportedly sought explanations from Telegram and Signal, both of which already allow users to communicate through usernames instead of mobile numbers.Arattai, launched in 2021 as Zoho's homegrown messaging platform, allows users to connect using usernames without sharing their phone numbers. While the feature was designed to offer greater privacy, it has now come under the spotlight as regulators examine whether username-based identities could be exploited for cybercrime.The government's concerns stem from the possibility of fraudsters creating usernames that closely resemble those of government agencies, financial institutions, businesses or public figures, making phishing attempts and impersonation scams harder to detect.Also read: Govt asks Meta to pause WhatsApp Usernames rollout in India; company says feature is not yet liveThe regulatory focus intensified after WhatsApp announced plans to introduce usernames later this year, enabling users to interact without revealing their phone numbers. While Meta has maintained that the feature is not yet live and includes safeguards such as reserved usernames for public figures, optional security codes and the absence of a searchable username directory, Indian authorities have asked the company to explain how it intends to prevent misuse before any rollout takes place.Unlike a ban, the government's action against WhatsApp is currently limited to seeking clarifications and asking the company to defer the launch pending discussions. However, Arattai's decision suggests some platforms are already adapting their products in anticipation of a stricter regulatory environment.