Downloading now: More fights over app store policies could be coming

India’s mobile economy and the purchasing power of its consumers could pitch homegrown startups against Google again – like they did earlier in March.

Google delisted a number of Indian startups for not complying with its billing policy, which charges up to 30 per cent of money spent through apps downloaded from its Play Store. The apps were restored after the Indian government mediated.

A key reason for tensions could be the rising share of domestic apps in India’s mobile economy. Their share among the top 100 most downloaded apps increased from 29.1 per cent in 2019 to 36.6 per cent in 2022 as seen in chart 1 (click image for interactive link).