The modern-day war! Developers demand Indian app store, government open to idea

The next big war will be fought over the internet, we often hear people say. As things stand, we are witnessing one unfold right in front our eyes. Infuriated by recent steps taken by Google, the Indian app developers are demanding their own app store and the government is also open to the idea. The demand comes as several Indian startups including Paytm and Swiggy alleged unfair treatment from Google. 

The tech giant faced further heat by announcing that it will start implementing its personal cost system within the Play Retailer, giving app builders only 12 months to make the change. 

“We’ve at all times required builders who distribute their apps on Play to make use of Google Play’s billing system if they provide in-app purchases of digital items, and pay a service price from a proportion of the acquisition,” Google writes in its Android Developer weblog, noting that it has not enforced this coverage so far.  

With this, app developers will only be able to make use of Google Play’s billing system and 30 per cent of the fee will go in tech giant’s pocket. Since then, several app developers – Indian or otherwise, have expressed their displeasure on social media platforms. 

Indian App Developers Demand Change 

The discontent among Indian app developers is clearly visible now. The revolution is led by the CEO of India’s biggest startup success story Paytm. Company co-founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma is leading a team of app developers and entrepreneurs to bring an Indian alternative to Google Play. Several other voices have also come in his support. 

“India needs a local app store long term else 30 percent tax will eat up most businesses, is anyone trying to build one?” tweeted Harshil Mathur, CEO of payments gateway RazorPay. 

Government Shows Interest 

The Modi government has been promoting its ‘Vocal for Local’ campaign for few weeks now and has hinted that it is open to the idea of India’s own mobile app store or expanding an existing one if it receives enough demand from domestic firms for an alternative to Apple and Google platforms. 

A senior Indian official told Reuters that New Delhi hasn`t received any formal request but was willing to consider developing a mobile platform where apps could be downloaded. 

"Before we open one we need to know there will be takers for it," said the government official, declining to be named as he is not authorised to speak with media. The country has some 500 million smartphone users, most of whom use Google`s Android platform, but Indian start-ups have criticised the company for policies they say stifle their growth. 

India already runs a mobile app store that lists over 1200 mainly government-backed applications, but also Paytm, and the government could also consider expanding that instead of starting from scratch, the official added. 

Peace for Now 

While the Indian startups are gearing up for a bigger war, they have resolved to peace for now. Paytm disagreed with Google’s assessment but removed certain promotions to have its app reinstated. Similar steps were also taken by other Indian startups like Zomato and Swiggy – both of which also received notices from Google for in-app gamification features.