India’s PhonePe has launched a new local Android app store in a bid to rival Google Play and tap into the world’s largest mobile app download market.
In a statement, the Walmart-owned firm said it has introduced its Indus Appstore to create a more competitive and localised mobile app store economy. The app store was unveiled at Bharat Mandapam convenetion centre in New Delhi at an event that was attended by a large number of startup founders and tech industry leaders,
Indus Appstore allows Indian consumers to download over 2 lakh mobile apps and games, across 45 categories. Reflecting the more localised nature of the store, users will be able to discover apps in 12 Indian languages. The app store also offers a short-video based discovery feature, to make new app discovery more engaging for consumers.
The store also allows app and game developers to choose any 3rd-party payment gateway for in-app billing, a feature that PhonePe said distinguishes it from other global players. Additioanly, they will not be charged any commission if they use an external payment gateway. Indus is expected to provide its own in-app billing and catalog solutions at a later date, but these will remain strictly optional for app developers.
To accelerate developer registrations, Indus is offering zero listing fees to developers for one year, until April 1st 2025, PhonePe said.
Sameer Nigam, CEO and Founder PhonePe added, “Indus Appstore challenges the status quo, ushering in an era of more healthy competition in the mobile app marketplace, which in turn should help create a more democratic and vibrant Indian digital ecosystem.”
He added: “Indus Appstore embodies our commitment to building a truly inclusive digital ecosystem where every Indian user feels at home.
……….
Subscribe to the Seamless Xtra weekly NEWSLETTER
See our latest daily updates on LinkedIn
Photo by Rami Al-zayat via Unsplash
……….
