MeitY seeks uniform messaging rules, opposes WhatsApp usernames

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is developing uniform design standards for messaging platforms and blocking WhatsApp's username feature, citing concerns about fraud and law enforcement tracking. The move has already forced Zoho to disable username features in its Arattai app ahead of formal rules. If you're building a messaging or communication app in India, MeitY now views feature parity as a regulatory requirement—you cannot ship something WhatsApp is blocked from, and you must anticipate uniform rules across all competitors. Design your product roadmap around a lowest-common-denominator rulebook, not market differentiation.