When PhonePe launches Indus Appstore to challenge Google Play in India

NewsTechnologyTechPhonePe launches Indus App store ,to challenge Google Play in India

PhonePe launches Indus Appstore to challenge Google Play in India

The platform is more localized and promises to offer better app discovery and consumer engagement.

Indus appstore No fees, no commission, and more features for Indian developers and users. (Image: Phoneme)

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Bengaluru-based digital payments company Phoneme has launched its own app store platform to attract Android developers in India. The Indus App store Developer Platform, which was unveiled on Saturday, offers free registration and upload of apps, for the first year, no platform fee and no commission on in-app purchases, possibly making it a more appealing option than Google’s Play Store.

The app store also supports many features that are relevant to the local market, such as third-party payment providers, 12 Indian languages, and a phone number-based login system.

Meanwhile, for developers, the app store supports a targeted release management feature ,allowing developers to roll out app updates to relevant user cohorts. Developers can also monitor app vitals with AI-powered tools during an app version launch.

The Indus App store Developer Platform comes at a time when Google’s policies and practices have faced criticism from many Indian businesses and startups, especially its 15-30% cut on in-app purchases. Despite being such a large market, Google’s Play Store continues to dominate most users’ smartphones. Companies like PhonePe and Paytm are therefore attempting to provide alternatives.

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“Indus App store hopes to provide app developers a credible alternative to the Google Play store – one that is more localised and offers better app discovery and consumer engagement,”said Akash Dongre, co-founder and chief product officer of Indus App store, in a statement.