Google has started the process of restoring Indian mobile apps that were removed from the Play Store due to the service charge dispute. Sources said that company officials took this decision after a meeting with IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav.
On Friday, Google removed apps belonging to 10 Indian companies, sparking controversy in one of its fastest-growing markets. Google dominates the Indian market as 94% of phones are based on its Android platform. This list included famous names like BharatMatrimony and Naukri.
The controversy primarily revolves around Google charging 11% to 26% on in-app payments. Indian startups have long protested against the unfair practices of the US tech giant.
Founder of Bharat Matrimony, Christian Matrimony, Muslim Matrimony and Jodi Matrimony.com expressed disappointment as its matchmaking apps were removed from Google’s Play Store. Founder Murugavel Janakiraman called it a dark day for India’s internet, emphasizing the potentially widespread impact on matrimonial services.
“Our apps are being deleted one by one. This literally means all the top matrimonial services will be removed,” Mr Janakiraman was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.
Earlier today, Mr Vaishnav said there is a need to protect the Indian startup ecosystem and the government is trying to convey this to Google.
The minister said, “We have a very large and vibrant startup ecosystem. We must take all steps to ensure that this ecosystem remains safe. Google has been a good adopter of Indian technologies. I am hopeful that Google will Would be appropriate with the approach.” he told NDTV before meeting Google representatives.
In 2020, Google briefly removed the popular Indian payments app Paytm from its Play Store citing some policy violations. The move comes as company founders and the broader startup industry united to challenge Google by launching their own app stores and filing legal cases.
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