Google Play Store dealt a significant blow to Indian apps by removing popular apps such as Bharat Matrimony, Shadi.com, Digi Locker, KUKU FM, and others on March 1. These apps were petitioners in a case against Google's app billing policy in the Supreme Court. Consequently, these apps migrated to the new app platform, The Indus App Store.
What is Indus App Bazaar?
The Indus App Bazaar is India's largest Indian app store, available in 12 Indian languages including Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Odia, Punjabi, Malayalam, Bengali, Assamese, Kannada, and English, hosting over 4 lakh applications in regional languages.
Return of Apps on Google.Meanwhile, Some apps returned to the Play Store on Sunday after complying with Google's billing policy. However, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) expressed concerns as most delisted apps remained offline. Murugavel J, founder and CEO of matrimony.com, mentioned that only eight of their company's apps, such as Bengali Matrimony, Marathi Matrimony, Tamil Matrimony, Jodii, and Bharat Matrimony, were reinstated after accepting Google's terms.
Why Google Remove These Apps. Google justified its actions by stating, "After providing these developers over three years to prepare, including three weeks after the Supreme Court’s directive, we are now implementing essential measures to ensure the consistent application of our policies throughout the ecosystem." The core issue revolves around the Google Play Billing System (GPBS) and Google's payment guidelines for Android applications. Initially, developers were required to use GPBS exclusively for transactions of all digital products and services via the in-app billing system. The Supreme Court is scheduled to review appeals from startups challenging Google's app billing policy on March 19.