Google to Restore Delisted Indian Apps on Google Play Store After Indian Government Intervention

Google has agreed to reinstate all the delisted apps of Indian companies on its Google Play Store following government intervention. The dispute arose over service fee payments, with Google removing apps from several developers, including popular ones by Matrimony.Com and the job search app Naukri, for non-compliance with its in-app payment guidelines.

Telecom and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw played a crucial role in facilitating dialogue between Google and the startups. He stated that the US tech giant has been supporting India’s technology development journey.

“Google and the startup community have met with us, and we have had very constructive discussions… Google has agreed to list all the apps,” he said.

The removal of apps sparked controversy, with the government strongly objecting to the action, calling it unacceptable. Google began restoring some apps on Saturday, provided they agreed to comply with its guideline to pay a fee of 11-25 percent on in-app payments or conduct financial transactions outside of the app.

Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Information and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar held multiple rounds of discussions with Google and the app owners to find a solution to the crisis. On Tuesday, Vaishnaw announced that Google has agreed to restore the status from Friday morning, i.e., pre-delisting.

“We believe Google and the startup community will be able to come to a long-term solution in the coming months,” he said, indicating that the two sides will now sit down and resolve the issue of the levy of service charges.

India is the world’s largest consumer internet market for tech giants like Meta and Google. With the government effectively using its geopolitical clout, these companies cannot afford to ignore the Indian market or act aggressively towards it.

The removal of apps raised concerns about Google’s in-app fee. While Google claims the fees help develop and promote the Android and Google Play Store ecosystem, startups argue that the tech giant is forcing them to use its payment system and pay a fee, failing which they are being offloaded by the Google Play Store.

Google had briefly removed the popular payments app Paytm from its Google Play Store in 2020, citing policy violations. This led to widespread industry outcry, with startups joining hands to mount legal challenges against the tech giant. They even joined forces to launch their own app store.