Google will reinstate mobile apps which were removed from the Play Store amid a dispute over service charges. The decision comes on the heels of discussions between Google officials and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Last Friday Google had excluded mobile apps from 10 Indian companies from its Play Store for violating its policies. Among the affected mobile apps were from prominent entities like Bharatmatrimony and Naukri.
At the heart of the disagreement are the fees Google imposes on in-app payments, which range from 11% to 26%. This policy has been a point of contention for Indian startups, who have voiced their opposition to what they perceive as Google’s unjust practices. Google’s Android platform currently powers 94% of smartphones in India.
Murugavel Janakiraman, the founder of Matrimony.com, which operates Bharat Matrimony, Christian Matrimony, Muslim Matrimony, and Jodii, had described the situation as a significant setback for the internet landscape in India.
“Our apps are getting deleted one by one. It literally means all the top matrimony services will be deleted,” Janakiraman told news agency Reuters.
Earlier, IT Minister Vaishnaw had told reporter that India has a very big and vibrant startup ecosystem and the government will take all steps to see that this ecosystem is protected.
“Google has been a good adopter of Indian technologies. I am quite hopeful that Google will be reasonable with its approach,” he was quoted as saying.
This is not the first instance of Google removing a popular Indian app from its Play Store; in 2020, it briefly delisted the Indian payments app Paytm for policy violations. This action spurred Paytm’s founder and the broader startup community to unite in opposition, exploring the creation of alternative app stores and pursuing legal action against Google.
