PhonePe set to launch android app store to challenge Google in India
- ByStartupStory | April 24, 2023
Financial technology and payments giant PhonePe is set to launch its app store for Android users in India, offering competition to Google in the space. This move has come after the Competition Commission of India (CCI) opened the door for Google to change its mobile business model in India. PhonePe has found support from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and expects to be live on all Android OEMs within the first few months of launch. The company has already closed terms with one of the largest OEMs and is working to get others onboard in the next few months.
“We have been having multiple conversations with all OEMs in India and everyone is very receptive, especially since CCI has clarified that Google cannot engage in anti-competitive practices. All OEMs are excited about PhonePe building a localised app store for the Indian market,” the company said in a statement.
The app store PhonePe wants to create will be more localised, not only from a language perspective but also from a discovery and consumer interest perspective. Currently, over 97% of the Indian app store market share is dominated by Google Play Store, and it is the most prominent way for a user to discover and install apps.
“Thus far, Google has blocked OEMs from supporting other app stores. However, the recent National Company Law Appellate Tribunal and CCI ruling has spelt out there is room for independent app stores to play in the Indian market. The timing is also favourable to us,” the statement added.
PhonePe also clarified that it would not give an exact timeline for the launch. The company’s focus is on building an app store and doing extensive internal and beta testing, as it did for the PhonePe app and recently launched Pincode app.
Follow Startup Story
Related Posts
