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Arattai has surpassed WhatsApp and surges to the top of India's app stores. The app's success highlights growing user demand for local digital platforms amid global scrutiny of the tech industry. Arattai messenger (Photo: X/@Arattai) New Delhi, UPDATED: Sep 29, 2025 08:00 IST Make way for India’s homegrown messaging application, Arattai, has just raced to the top spot in app stores, surpassing WhatsApp. The company took to X (aka Twitter) announcing, “We’re officially #1 in Social Networking on the App Store!” The milestone caps off a week of rising buzz around the app, fuelled by endorsements, memes, and a wave of patriotic downloads. Launched back in 2021, Arattai, whose name comes from Tamil for “chat” or “chit-chat”, was initially seen as a scrappy side project by its parent company, Zoho. But in the age of AI anxiety, spyware scandals, and heightened scrutiny of Big Tech platforms, its promise of being a “spyware-free, made-in-India messenger” has suddenly struck a chord. The app’s sudden surge in popularity is partly thanks to fresh visibility from government circles. Earlier this week, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan encouraged Indians to switch to local digital platforms, with Arattai being a top mention. And it looks like

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As India celebrates Navratri and Durga Puja this year, the way of wishing each other is becoming more digital, with WhatsApp stickers and AI-generated art quickly replacing traditional e-cards and forwards. At the heart of this new trend is ChatGPT, the AI tool that is helping users create beautiful, 3D-style Durga Puja stickers right from their phones without needing any other app, design software, or technical know-how. Whether you want to send blessings, festive greetings, or simply celebrate Maa Durga in a new and creative way, ChatGPT can help you generate custom sticker-style images in seconds. With built-in image generation (available in the latest ChatGPT versions), users can type a simple prompt describing the sticker they want and instantly receive a high-quality image that is ready to send on WhatsApp. How to create Durga Puja stickers for WhatsApp with ChatGPT: Open ChatGPT and ask it to generate a sticker-style image. Describe the look, pose, background, and style of Durga you want. Download the generated image to your device. Share it directly on WhatsApp, or save it as part of your own sticker collection. No other tools needed. Just you, your idea, and ChatGPT. Sample prompts you can use in ChatGPT

The appellate tribunal NCLAT has completed hearing and reserved its order on the appeals filed by Meta Platforms and WhatsApp, challenging the CCI's penalty on the social media major for the 2021 WhatsApp privacy policy update. An NCLAT bench, comprising Chairperson Justice Ashok Bhushan and Member (Technical) Arun Baroka, has directed the parties to file written submissions by October 6. "All the parties to file concise notes of submissions of not more than ten pages by October 6, 2025," said the bench on Thursday, while reserving its judgment. The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) was hearing the petition by the tech giant Meta, which challenged a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore on the social media major for unfair business practices with respect to the WhatsApp privacy policy update done in 2021. Senior Counsel Arun Kathpalia and Amit Sibbal have completed their submissions in the rejoinder over arguments by the Senior Advocate Balbir Singh appearing for the Competition Commission of India (CCI) before the NCLAT, an appellate authority over the orders passed by the fair trade regulator. In November last year, CCI imposed a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore on social media major Meta with respect to the WhatsApp privacy

English Content Meta Platforms-owned WhatsApp started rolling out message translation for Android and iOS devices to enable cross‑language chats among its more than three billion users in over 180 countries. In a blog post yesterday (23 September), WhatsApp stated translations will initially be available in six languages on Android devices and 19 languages on iPhones, with more to follow. When users see a message in a different language, they can long-press and tap “translate” to select the language they want the message to be converted either from or to. The feature is available across one-on-one chats, groups and Channel updates. Android users will be able to turn on automatic translation for an entire chat to see future messages in their preferred language. To alleviate privacy concerns, the company stated the translations occur on users’ devices where WhatsApp cannot see them. “We hope this feature helps break down language barriers and allows users to connect more deeply with loved ones and communities around the globe,” it added. See more: OpenAI scores $100B investment from Nvidia See more: Asset-based lending: The solution to overcoming cash flow fluctuations See more: Corintis raises $24M to target the next AI bottleneck, and collaborates with Microsoft

WhatsApp is rolling out a built-in message translation feature that could reshape how South Africans communicate across linguistic divides. According to the official announcement, users can now long-press any incoming message written in a language they don’t understand, tap Translate, and see the text in their preferred language, all without leaving the chat. In parallel, Android users will have the option to enable automatic translation for entire chat threads, meaning future incoming messages in that conversation will be translated as they arrive. For iPhone users, the feature works differently: you can long-press individual messages and choose Translate, but you don’t get the “always-translate” toggle that Android users are receiving. That means every message on iOS has to be translated one at a time, rather than automatically. According to WhatsApp’s press release, the iOS rollout still covers more than 19 languages, so iPhone users arguably get a wider language set, but with less convenience compared to Android. For people who don’t use Android or iPhone (e.g., WhatsApp Web or Desktop), WhatsApp hasn’t announced support for translation yet. At this stage, translations are mobile-only features. Critically, WhatsApp underscores that translations are processed on-device, not via cloud servers. This design keeps messages end-to-end

Updated 25 September 2025 at 14:01 IST UIDAI now lets users download Aadhaar card via WhatsApp, offering a faster, simpler alternative to traditional methods. Here’s how to access your digital Aadhaar instantly using your phone. Follow :   Aadhaar Now Downloadable on WhatsApp Through MyGov Helpdesk | Image: Aadhaar/X Show Quick Read Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed Aadhaar today is linked to almost every sphere of our lives. From school admissions to PF withdrawal, Aadhaar has become mandatory for everything today.  With wide usage comes the belief that Aadhaar is complex and obtaining one is even more complex. The Government of India seems to have heard it and thus made it easier for people to access their Aadhaar card. Citizens can now download it directly on WhatsApp through the official MyGov Helpdesk chatbot, which is linked to DigiLocker. How It Works To use the service, you need to save the MyGov Helpdesk number +91-9013151515 on your phone. Once you send a “Hi” or “Namaste” on WhatsApp, the chatbot will guide you step by step. Here’s the simple process: Choose DigiLocker Services from the menu. Log in or set up your DigiLocker account if you don’t have one. Enter your 12-digit Aadhaar

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) told the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) that Meta's size and integration of its platforms—Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp place it far ahead of competitors, making WhatsApp the dominant player in India's messaging app market. Appearing for the CCI, Senior Advocate Balbir Singh argued that no other player comes close to WhatsApp in terms of user dependence, network effects, and cross-platform synergy. "WhatsApp's reach and daily engagement levels, reinforced by powerful network effects, ensure that users remain locked into the service," Singh said. He added that even if users install other apps like Telegram and Signal, activity remains concentrated on WhatsApp because switching requires convincing an entire network of contacts to migrate. Singh asserted that this dominance was abused when WhatsApp imposed its 2021 privacy policy on a "take it or leave it" basis. He described the notifications as creating a "manufactured sense of urgency," which left users with little choice but to comply out of fear of losing access to the service. The senior advocate also highlighted that the 2021 policy removed a limited opt-out safeguard that had existed previously, compelling users who had once rejected cross-platform data sharing to accept it.

/PRNewswire/ -- Omnichat, a leading omnichannel AI customer experience platform, recently held its Commerce Leadership Forum 2025 Series consecutively at the Meta Singapore and Meta Malaysia offices. Attendees benefited from enlightening discussions and insights shared by speakers from global social media giant Meta, premium automotive brand Volvo Car Malaysia, English and writing enrichment chain WRITERS AT WORK. The forums served as a premier platform to delve into the transformative impact of AI, data-driven insights, and the WhatsApp Business Platform on the landscape of customer engagement. From left: Stanley Chan (VP of Sales at Omnichat), Alan Chan (Founder & CEO at Omnichat), Patricia Yaw (Director of Marketing Operations and PR at Volvo Car Malaysia), Albert Tiong (Regional Program Manager at Meta), Ang Kai Ning (HR & Finance Director at WRITERS AT WORK) and Vicky Yiu (APAC Strategic Partnership Manager at Meta) There is a fundamental shift in business-to-customer interaction, stating that messaging businesses is a way of life worldwide. This transformation is vividly illustrated by the recent statistics recorded in Meta's 2023 and 2024 earnings: a staggering 1 billion people connect with a business account across Meta's messaging services weekly. Vicky Yiu, APAC Strategic Partnership Manager of Meta highlighted the