Google Play store removes Indian matrimony apps amid fee dispute
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Mountain View: Google has taken down the apps of 10 Indian companies, including popular matrimony apps like Bharat Matrimony, following a disagreement over service fee payments.
The dispute revolves around Indian startups' resistance to Google's imposition of a fee ranging from 11% to 26% on in-app payments, as directed by the country's antitrust authorities.
The removal of apps comes after two court decisions in January and February that denied relief to startups, allowing Google to enforce the fee or remove the apps.
Matrimony.com, which operates BharatMatrimony, and Info Edge, the company behind Jeevansathi, have received notices of Play Store violations from Google. Matrimony.com's founder, Murugavel Janakiraman, called it a "dark day for the Indian Internet," stating, "Our apps are getting deleted one by one." Both companies are reviewing the notices and considering their next steps.
Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., stated that 10 Indian companies had chosen not to pay for an "immense value" received on Google Play for an extended period. The company did not disclose the names of the firms. Google emphasised its right to charge fees, citing the Supreme Court's decision on February 9, which "refused to interfere" with its right to do so.
This move by Google could potentially provoke dissatisfaction within the Indian startup community, which has long protested against various practices of the tech giant.
Google, holding a 94% share in the Indian market with its Android platform, asserts that the fees support investments in the app store, and the Android operating system, and cover developer tools and analytic services.
Just 3% of the over 200,000 Indian developers using the Google Play platform are required to pay any service fee, according to Google.