After the pushback from a startup founder in India over Google’s policies, technology giant Google is under pressure right now and is being prompted to soften its stance in India, according to a Mint report. The report says that some startups are already searching for their apps through Android Application Package(APK) downloads on their websites. Thee are examples like the founder of the fantasy sports platform Dream 11said that we have 100 million users without any support and no listing on Google Play Store.
Why The Pushback Against Google?
Google play which is serving almost 95% of Indian digital consumers is blamed by startups for controlling the entire tech stack from the operating system(which is Android) to distribution of app through its Play Store. These firms can look at creating a non-profit organization in order to run a possible store kind of thing for apps created by Indian founders. Although, discussions are at an early stage of just an idea.
“To understand their concerns more deeply”, Google has started meeting with many application developers in India. Google is also hosting “policy workshops” where they are saying that they will answer queries about their policies by various developers.
Google said this Sunday that Indian startups will also get six additional months to comply with its billing rules on Play Store.
Akash Karmakar, partner of Law Offices of Panag and Babu said, “You could guess that the dissatisfaction among Indian apps regarding commission demands of Google Play, along with this public policy and the shift favoring towards a native app store may have played a role in the flexibility of Google Play”.
Bipin Preet Singh, Founder CEO, a payment service MobiKwik, which was also removed for a short period of time from Play Store in May, said the deferment of Play Store billing. “There is a high need for stringent regulation in India, to operate with transparency and fairness while allowing for the competition to thrive. No longer are they (Google) appealing to the good of any of the company. They can’t control the Operating System, distribution of apps, and launch their own apps.” Singh said.
Recently, nearly 24 startup founders, including Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, spoke to the ministry of electronics and information technology against Google’s policies.
Co-founder and CEO of TrulyMadly.com, Snehil Khanor said that Facebook and Google by the colonization of the digital economy, are taking India’s capital away.
