End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) for Direct Chats and Group Chats

Privacy and security is at the core of Arattai, which is why we built end-to-end encryption into our app. When end-to-end encrypted, your messages, media, and direct calls are secured so that only you and the people you are communicating with can read or listen to them. Not even Arattai can access them.

How Arattai's end-to-end encryption works

All encryption and decryption happen on your device, and the encryption keys never leave it. Arattai servers cannot read your messages, listen to your direct calls, or access your files. Only minimal metadata needed to deliver a message, such as sender and recipient IDs, timestamps, message type, and reactions, is visible to the server.

What’s Protected with End-to-End Encryption

Text messages, photos, videos, documents, voice messages, audio files, shared locations, and contact cards shared in chats are all end-to-end encrypted. Direct voice and video calls, replies, forwards, quoted messages, and file captions are also protected. Each message and direct call is secured with unique encryption keys stored only on your devices.

System information such as call and meeting notifications, sender user identifier, timestamp, and IP address is not end-to-end encrypted. Message reactions and stickers at rest (before sending) are also not end-to-end encrypted.

Recognise New E2EE Chats

A secure green icon will appear near the chat name, with an indication in both the chat window and the chat detail page.

Older Non-E2EE Chats

Your older direct chats remain viewable and searchable, but you cannot send new messages in them. A fresh E2EE direct chat is created automatically when you or the other user sends a new message.

Group Chats

End-to-end encryption is available for all group chats. For existing groups, all previous messages remain accessible in the same chat window, and a banner reading “Messages in this group hereafter are protected with end-to-end encryption.” marks where E2EE begins. No new group is created. For newly created groups, a banner at the top of the chat window displays “Messages in this group are protected with end-to-end encryption.”

Please note that meetings are not end-to-end encrypted.

Device and App Support

End-to-End Encryption for direct chats is supported on Android (version 1.33.6 or above), iOS (version 1.17.23 or above), and the Arattai Web and Desktop apps (version 1.0.7 or above).

If the other user is on an older version of the app, they must update to the latest version to support E2EE chats.

Encrypted Calls

All audio and video calls on Arattai are end-to-end encrypted.

Backups

Google Drive and iCloud backups are supported for E2EE chats. Learn more about how to use chat backups.

Multi-Device Usage

End-to-End Encryption works across multiple devices. You can connect up to four companion devices to your primary device. All your personal chats and calls remain end-to-end encrypted across these devices.

Signing Out of Arattai

Signing out deletes your encryption keys from the device. As the encryption keys are available only on the device, signing out clears all the secret keys. This means you lose access to all E2EE chat messages. Old encrypted messages cannot be recovered unless backups are introduced, which are currently under development.

Message Import

Importing messages into an E2EE chat is not currently supported. This feature will be added when backup and export features become available.

Message Privacy

Arattai or anyone else cannot read your encrypted messages. All encryption and decryption take place on your device, and Arattai servers cannot decrypt your messages, calls, or files.

The message encryption keys never leave your device. Only minimal metadata required for message delivery is visible to the server, such as sender and recipient IDs, timestamps, message type, and reactions. Message content, media, keys, and attachments remain fully encrypted and inaccessible.

Forward Secrecy

Arattai maintains forward secrecy by using a unique one-time encryption key for each message. Even if one key is compromised, all other messages remain protected.

Adding or Removing Devices

When you remove a device, it immediately stops receiving encrypted messages. Adding a new device generates fresh cryptographic keys so future E2EE messages can be decrypted securely. If a “key conflict” appears, Arattai automatically refreshes keys and re-establishes secure sessions.

Broadcast Messages

Broadcast messages are end-to-end encrypted. Learn how to use Broadcasts.

Pocket Encryption

Pocket messages are stored privately on your device and synced securely across your linked devices. However, end-to-end encryption is not available for Pocket. It's intended for personal storage and access, and not encrypted messaging between users.

Security Audit and White Paper

Arattai’s end-to-end encryption architecture and cryptographic implementation are currently undergoing independent review and audit by top external security auditors. To provide transparency into our security design and encryption approach, we have published a detailed white paper outlining our end-to-end encryption model.

FAQs

1. Can Arattai read my messages?

No. End-to-end encryption means only you and the recipient hold the keys to decrypt messages. Arattai cannot access them.

2. Are all chats end-to-end encrypted?

Direct chats in Arattai are end-to-end encrypted.

3. What happens to my messages if I lose my device?

Messages are stored on your device. If you haven't backed them up, they may be lost. You can enable automatic chat backup, so you always have a copy of your recent chats.

End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) for Direct Chats