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PhonePe Launches Indus App Store with Zero Fees to Challenge Google in India

Rajesh — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 09:36:56 +0000

PhonePe, a Walmart-backed Indian fintech startup, has launched Indus AppStore. The app store will offer localized services for Indian users, including support for 12 Indian languages, a dedicated payment gateway, and a dedicated customer support team based in India. Here are the details.

PhonePe Indus App Store

One of the key features of Indus AppStore is that it does not charge developers any platform fee or commission on in-app purchases. This is a significant departure from Google Play Store, which charges a 15-30% commission.

PhonePe is also offering free app listings for the first year, followed by a nominal annual fee. This makes it a very attractive option for start-ups and new app launches.

The platform also has a dedicated platform for start-ups and new app launches called “Launch Pad”. This will provide them with better visibility and search optimization, helping them to reach more users. App publishers will also be able to boost brand awareness via engaging videos.

The Indus Appstore is designed to provide developers with an alternative distribution channel to tap into the Indian Android market and to assist them with high-quality user acquisition through multilingual app discovery.

For this, PhonePe has also partnered with up with several phone manufacturers to distribute the app store on their phones. The startup also said it has established an India-based team to offer support to developers.

PhonePe believes that Indus AppStore will provide a credible alternative to the Google Play Store for app developers in India. The company believes that the Indus AppStore’s localization features and developer support will attract developers, particularly start-ups and new app launches.

The company’s push into the app store market is the latest in a series of moves by the company to expand into new categories. Earlier this year, PhonePe launched an e-commerce app, and last month it unveiled Share.Market, an app that allows users to open trading accounts and invest in stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs.

Walmart-backed PhonePe will take on Google with launch of app store in India

Soumyakanti — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 12:37:10 +0000

PhonePe, the Walmart-backed fintech giant, is gearing up to challenge Google’s dominance in the Indian app store market with the launch of its own app store for Android users. According to an internal company document reviewed by TechCrunch, the app store will offer hyper-localized services based on customer context and assist developers with high-quality user acquisition through multilingual solutions.

PhonePe sees opportunity in India’s app store market with recent antitrust ruling

PhonePe’s move into the app store market comes after the acquisition of app store maker IndusOS, which served customers through partnerships with smartphone vendors. The app store will offer support for 12 languages, 24×7 live chat, and a “premiere experience” for users with high-quality advertisements and custom targeting.

PhonePe’s decision to build an app store comes from its belief that consumers are reluctant to download multiple apps on their phones. The app store is also part of PhonePe’s ongoing funding round this year, which has raised $750 million from General Atlantic, Walmart, and Tiger Global, among others. PhonePe confirmed that it’s holding multiple conversations with phone makers in India and plans to be live on all Android OEMs within the first few months of launch.

This move is significant because Google commands 97% of the Indian app store market, and PhonePe’s entry into the market could challenge Google’s dominance. The timing is also favorable for PhonePe, as a recent order from the Indian antitrust watchdog Competition Commission of India paves the way for other developers to build and launch their app stores on Google Play. PhonePe sees an opportunity to build an alternative app store that is more localized, not just from a language perspective but also from a discovery and consumer interest perspective.

This latest product push follows PhonePe’s recent entry into the e-commerce category, and it’s another example of the company’s ongoing efforts to expand its services beyond mobile payments. As one of India’s most valuable fintech startups, PhonePe is well-positioned to challenge Google’s dominance in the app store market, and its app store could provide a much-needed alternative for Indian consumers who are looking for more localized services.

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[UPDATE] Google removes rival payment app Paytm from Play Store for “repeat policy violations”

Jed John Ikoba — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 10:41:36 +0000

UPDATE: September 18, 2020 (11:30 AM ET): Google has now restored the main Paytm payments app on the Play Store. However, the Paytm First Games app is yet to be restored. The original story continues below.

Earlier this year, the Indian government announced a new payment method dubbed Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to provide rapid and safe money transfers. UPI is primarily available for use via smartphone apps and it has received an overwhelming response from the users due to its easy availability and stress-free banking. Among the top three operators are Walmart’s PhonePe, Paytm and Google Pay.

In a recent development, Google has decimated Paytm’s ability to provide payment services for new customer by removing the popular Indian financial services app from the Play Store. The removal is as a result of the violation of Google’s gambling policies.

Google reiterated that the Play Store prohibits online casinos and other unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting in India. But Paytm is deemed to have violated that policy by promoting fantasy sports service within its marquee app. Paytm’s fantasy sports service, called Paytm First Games, was also available as a standalone app and it has been pulled, too, from the Play Store.

Google maintains similar guidelines around gambling in most other markets and have directed that if an app leads consumers to an external website that allows them to participate in paid tournaments to win real money or cash prizes, it will also be deemed in violation of its Play Store policies. This is where Paytm may have violated the Play Store’s policy.

In a recent blog post on this subject matter, Suzanne Frey, Vice President, Product, Android Security and Privacy stated; “We have these policies to protect users from potential harm. When an app violates these policies, we notify the developer of the violation and remove the app from Google Play until the developer brings the app into compliance.”

“And in the case where there are repeated policy violations, we may take more serious action which may include terminating Google Play Developer accounts. Our policies are applied and enforced on all developers consistently,” she added.