- 10 Indian applications that were temporarily reinstated last week after being removed from the Google Play Store due to non-compliance with payment policies.
- The government and the Telecom and Information & Technology Minister intervened to facilitate communication between the parties.
- There is no permanent solution in place yet.
The Google Play Store has agreed to temporarily reinstate the 10 Indian apps that were previously removed from the platform. This development followed intervention from Telecom and Information & Technology Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, who facilitated discussions between Google and the Indian app developers to resolve the issue.
Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that after constructive dialogues between Google and the startup community, Google has agreed to relist all the previously removed apps. However, this remains a short-term resolution with potential for a long-term solution to be established within the next 1 to 2 months, as per Vaishnaw’s optimism. Notably, Google did not comment on this projection.
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Reasons for App Removal
Last Friday, Google announced the removal of several Indian apps from the Google Play Store due to non-compliance with the platform’s billing policies. Although an official list was not released, investigations revealed that Matrimony.com was among the affected apps.
Other impacted applications include Alt Balaji, Truly Madly, Quack Quack, and KukuFM.
Matrimony.com suffered a significant blow since all its 140 apps were delisted from the store. These apps encompass well-known platforms like BharatMatrimony.com and Jeevansathi.com.
The company acknowledged receipt of the removal notice from Google and mentioned that their legal team was exploring next steps.
There were rumors circulating that InfoEdge, the parent company of 99acres and Naukri.com, was also guilty of non-payment. Consequently, the company’s shares experienced a 2% decline.
However, InfoEdge refuted these claims, asserting compliance since the Supreme Court order on February 9. They confirmed settling all pending invoices, leading to a 2% recovery in their shares thereafter.
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Prolonged Struggle Between the Parties
The conflict between Google and the aforementioned 10 Indian app developers has persisted for three years. Google maintains that its Play Store provides a valuable platform for these apps, facilitating their growth and visibility.
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