Indian apps see surge of new entrants out to replace banned Chinese peers

Mumbai: The ban on 59 Chinese apps appears to be generating a vigorous response from Indian entrepreneurs — many from smaller towns — keen to fill the void. The Indian Android app ecosystem has witnessed a stream of new entrants after the Chinese apps were banned on June 29 over security concerns in the wake of rising border tensions between the two countries. Young developers from places such as Solapur in Maharashtra and Gir Somnath village in Gujarat have launched Indian alternatives to consumer-centric Chinese utility apps.

These apps — such as Kaagaz Scanner, Bharat Scanner, Share India, ShareKaro — focus on categories like file-sharing and management, photo-scanning and phone cache cleaning, among other applications.