Google said that on March 1 that it will be taking action against the apps of 10 Indian companies that have not complied with the company’s app billing policy and have gone against their guidelines for an “extended period of time”.
This new announcement is the latest escalation in the ongoing spat between the tech giant and local internet companies in India which is the world’s second largest internet market.
This action will include removal of “non-compliant apps” from the Play Store, the company clarified. Google did not disclose the specific company names against whom the action is being taken.
The flagship app of the matrimony platform Shaadi.com, as well as the streaming, media platforms Altt, Stage, and Aha, and the dating app Quack Quack, appear to have been taken down from the Play Store at the time of writing this article.
These companies were petitioners in a case against Google’s app billing policy in the Supreme Court.
“After giving these developers more than three years to prepare, including three weeks after the Supreme Court’s order, we are taking necessary steps to ensure our policies are applied consistently across the ecosystem,” the company said in a blog post.
In February 2024, the Supreme Court of India refused to pass an interim order protecting internet firms such as Matrimony.com, Shaadi.com from being delisted from Google’s Play Store on February 9, 2024 and listed the case for hearing on March 19.
App developers had approached the Supreme Court against Madras High Court’s order that had dismissed its plea challenging Google’s enforcement of its app billing policy.
Sanjeev Bikhchandani, the founder of Info Edge, told Moneycontrol that they were compliant with the policies since February 9 and all dues of Google have been paid in a timely manner, not violating any laws. Info Edge was one of the petitioners in the case challenging the Madras High Court’s order.
The petitions were also met with unfriendly surprisers such as being put in the list
Matrimony.com also said it is currently reviewing the notice received from Google and is exploring next steps.This decision will greatly affect the Indian matrimony market.
“Google’s actions literally mean all the top matrimony services will be deleted,” it said.
In the blog post, the tech giant also mentioned that some developers who were refused interim protection have started complying with the company’s app billing policy but others “have chosen to find ways to not do so”.
In February, Moneycontrol had also reported that a group of over 30 Indian app developers wrote to Google, requesting themto “exercise restraint” and not take any “precipitation action” to delist apps from Google Play Store until March 19 when the apex court is expected to hear their petition.
In the post, the company said it always works with developers to help them find ‘feasible’ and easy solutions, but allowing a “small group of developers” to get differential treatment from the vast majority of them who are already complying with the app billing policy would create an “uneven playing field” across the ecosystem and puts all other apps and games at a “competitive disadvantage.”
What will happen once delisted?
If delisted, developers can resubmit their apps by integration any of the three billing options the Play stores own billing system, an alternate billing system alongside Google Play’s, or operating on a consumption-only basis (without any service fee) where users have paid for the content or service outside the app. We need to remain optimistic with the decisions being made .
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