Google said a small group of developers in India had more than three years to prepare and comply with Play Store’s payments policy but opted against it.
Google has issued a warning to 10 companies in India, including Matrimony.com and Info Edge, regarding the potential removal of their apps from its app store platform due to non-payment of service fees. In a blog post, Google announced its intention to remove the apps of these companies for failing to comply with the payment requirements. The Android-maker, owned by Alphabet, said a small group of developers in India had more than three years to prepare and comply with Play Store’s payments policy but opted against it. These firms continue to comply with payment policies of other app stores, Google said.
“After giving these developers more than three years to prepare, including three weeks after the Supreme Court’s order, we are taking necessary steps to ensure our policies are applied consistently across the ecosystem, as we do for any form of policy violation globally,” Google wrote in its blog post.
According to a report in Tech Crunch, Google has started removing some of the apps on Friday. The Android apps of matrimony platforms Shaadi, Matrimony.com’s Jodii as well as Bharat Matrimony’s eponymous offering were pulled from the Play Store. Alt Balaji’s Altt and dating service Quack Quack also disappeared from the Play Store.
Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani confirmed that they had been notified by Google but asserted that they were in adherence to Play Store policies. Bikhchandani stated that all invoices from Google had been settled promptly, with no outstanding dues. This development has raised concerns among the affected companies, as the potential removal of their apps could significantly impact their user base and revenue streams.
Google said that the developers continue to have other options to operate their business on Android, including distribution through alternative Android app stores or directly through their websites. The tech giant assured that existing users will be able to continue to access the apps without interruption — and that it will continue to offer support to help developers get into compliance.
“Our commitment to investing in India’s digital future remains unwavering and our continued investments to bring the highest available standard of technology to the ecosystem are testimony to our commitment,” read the blog.
India is a key overseas market for Google, where it has invested billions over the past decade and now serves over half a billion people. The company said that Android and Play Store ecosystem collectively supported over 2.5 million jobs in India in 2022 and only 3% developers in India need to pay a service fee in the country. Fewer than five dozen developers in India are subject to fees above 15%, the company said.