Android users mostly use Google Play Store to download apps on their smartphones. Google Play Store owing to security that it offers and the number of apps (across genres) that it houses is a fine tool for users, but that may not always be true for developers who have to pay a hefty 30 percent commission to the tech giant for the purchases made within their apps. This has been a pain point for app developers a lot of whom have accused the company of misusing its dominant position in the market. But now, it looks like Google’s monopoly is going to break in India. According to a Techcrunch report, PhonePe is developing its own Play Store for Android users in India.
The app store, designed to offer hyper-localized services based on customer context, aims to assist developers with “high-quality” user acquisition through multilingual solutions, as per an internal company document reviewed by the publication.
Last year, PhonePe acquired Bengaluru-based IndusOS, which is an app store maker that served customers through partnerships with smartphone vendors. PhonePe plans to strengthen its engagement with smartphone OEMs including firms such as Xiaomi, the report said.
PhonePe’s app store will offer a “premiere experience for millions of users with high-quality advertisements and custom targeting,” support for 12 languages and 24×7 live chat, the document said.
Currently, PhonePe offers a mini app store within its PhonePe app from where users can access various kinds of other apps and services. A senior developer in Walmart backed company said that building an app store has long been one of the focuses for PhonePe, as per another report by the publication.
A PhonePe spokesperson said that it has an opportunity to challenge Google’s app store dominance and that it aims to do so by building an alternative app store that is “more localized not just from a language perspective but also from a discovery and consumer interest perspective.”
The development comes shortly after the Competition Commission of India on October 20, 2022, imposed a fine of Rs 1,337 crore on Google for abusing its dominating position. PhonePe confirmed that it is holding multiple conversations with phone makers in India and said “everyone is very receptive, especially since CCI has clarified that Google cannot engage in anti-competitive practices,” TechCrunch reported.
After CCI’s order and all the tightening that is going around the world against the tech giant’s dominant position, entering the app store market will be easy for PhonePe but how users will react to it, is a thing that remains to be seen.