Google’s new policy miffs start-ups 

BENGALURU: Indian startups have upped  ante against Google after the company notified a 30 per cent  charge/tax on all in-app purchases from its Android playstore.

Apart from this, Google had earlier briefly removed Paytm from its app store alleging that it was promoting gambling.

Food delivery startups Zomato and Swiggy on Wednesday were also similar notices asking them to remove several gamification features.

The food tech companies have sought more clarifications. Sources say that the Indian start-up community led by Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma is also contemplating taking the matter to the Union Ministry of Information and Technology, highlighting Google’s alleged monopoly in the app store segment, since the company commands more than 90 per cent of the app market in India. 

“The app developers have also spoken at length on having an indigenous app store to thwart the designs of tech giants like Google and Apple, who are regulating all the policy matters with regards to app store. At a time when Prime Minister Modi has emphasised on Atma Nirbhar, the time has come for the regulators as well as innovators to come together and give a befetting reply to these anti-competitive practices,” said a start-up founder on condition of anonymity.

“Although a few apps now have their own playstores, competing with Google is a daunting task. The government intervention should instead happen at the policy level, such as asking Google to revise its policy with respect to each geography and abide by the laws of the land,” Ankir Rai, CEO, Aiisa.