India Open To Launching Own Mobile App Store As Start-Ups Criticise Google

India is open to launching its 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 government official said on October 1. Alphabet-owned Google also said this week that it will strictly enforce a policy which will levy a 30 percent commission on payments made within apps on its Android store. 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. Google has previously said that fewer than 3 percent of developers with apps on its Play store sold digital goods over the last 12 months, and nearly 97 percent comply with its payment system policy. Several Indian start-up founders are calling for a local app store that doesn’t charge a high service fee. “It’s absolutely necessary to have a local app store,” said Vishal Gondal, co-founder of Bengaluru-based gaming firm nCore Games. Paytm disagreed with Google’s assessment but removed certain promotions to have its app reinstated.