PhonePe is an Indian digital payments and financial services company. And in September 2023, it announced it was venturing into the app store arena with something called the Indus Appstore Developer Platform.
This is happening during a period when the battleground for app distribution and discovery has been fiercely contested.
Take Android devices, for example, where Google’s Play Store reigns supreme.
PhonePe seems to have challenged this monopoly head-on by introducing its own app store.
Because Google’s platform is said to be charging substantial fees and commissions. Google’s revenue model for the Play Store is said to involve charging developers fees for in-app purchases, ranging from 15% to 30%.This is said to have faced considerable opposition from app developers, leading to investigations by the Competition Commission of India.
There are said to be challenges posed by Google’s operating hours, which are tied to US time zones and which may result in delayed responses for Indian developers.
Google’s Android operating system is said to run on over 95% of smartphones in India.
There have, also, been initiatives like the Paytm Mini App Store, Samsung Galaxy Store, GetApps by Xiaomi and more to try to challenge the dominance of Big Tech. Also, in January 2023, India’s Supreme Court denied Google’s plea to block an antitrust ruling that forces the US company, when it comes to how it markets in India.
So, Google would have to change the rulebook and dismantle restrictions on smartphone manufacturers, when it comes to the pre-installation of apps.
