Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu confirmed Arattai will discontinue username-based accounts after the Indian government halted WhatsApp's planned rollout of username-based identities.

Arattai's username feature enhances privacy with strict safeguards, allowing users control while preventing mobile number leaks in groups.

This comes amid a wider standoff between the Centre and messaging platforms over features that let users connect without sharing phone numbers. The Ministry of Electronics and…