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Mint Explainer: Who’s winning the app war – Google or Indian startups?

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

Mint Explainer: Who’s winning the app war – Google or Indian startups?

Google has temporarily removed the apps of several popular Indian startups, including Bharat Matrimony, Shaadi.com, Naukri, and 99acres, from its Play Store. The move came after Google sent notices to startups, stating that their apps would be restored if they started paying a service fee to be listed on the store. The action caused controversy within the Indian startup community, leading to government intervention and subsequent restoration of the apps. The debate surrounding app store fees originated globally, as regulators in the US and the European Union have been engaging with Google about its Play Store charges.

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Mint Explainer | Why Big Tech is focusing on Indian languages

Livemint

Livemint · 18d ago

Mint Explainer | Why Big Tech is focusing on Indian languages

Big tech companies like Google, Meta, and OpenAI are expanding AI support for Indian languages due to the large market of 1.7 billion speakers. The native data in English-based AI models often causes biases, so increasing support for Indian languages can unlock significant growth potential. AI startups Anthropic and Perplexity are also focusing on Indian languages, highlighting the emerging battlefield in the regional-language internet market in India.

ETtech Explainer: Why are Indian startups up in arms against Google Billing?

Economic Times

Economic Times · 1y ago

ETtech Explainer: Why are Indian startups up in arms against Google Billing?

Indian app developers have been raising concerns over Google's billing policies, claiming that they will affect their revenue. Apps like Shaadi.com and BharatMatrimony.com were delisted for not complying with Google's billing system but were later restored without in-app payment options. Startups argue that Google's near monopoly in the app publishing industry allows them to impose exorbitant fees. Google charges between 15% and 30% per transaction, while other payment aggregators charge almost zero to 4%. Startups are considering building their own app stores to avoid Google's high rates. The Payments Council of India suggests enacting laws to prevent such fees.

Startups Mull Google Tax To Build Public Opinion Against Tech Giant’s Hefty Commissions

Inc42 · 1y ago

Startups Mull Google Tax To Build Public Opinion Against Tech Giant’s Hefty Commissions

Indian startup founders are considering implementing a 'Google Fee' or 'Google Tax' on their customers as a response to the hefty commissions charged by the tech giant. The move comes after Google delisted the apps of several Indian startups for not complying with its new billing policy. Founders want to build public opinion against Google's billing system and push for government intervention. The startups claim that Google's commissions, ranging from 11-26%, are exorbitant and harm their businesses. Indian startups are also calling for the creation of a state-backed app marketplace to counter the dominance of big tech companies.

Mint Explainer: What US' entrepreneur rule means for Indian startup founders

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

Mint Explainer: What US' entrepreneur rule means for Indian startup founders

The US Department of Homeland Security has revised its International Entrepreneur Rule (IER) to allow non-citizen founders to apply for an authorized stay in the country if they demonstrate significant public benefit through their startups. The rule applies to entrepreneurs living abroad or already within the US, and their startup entities must have been formed in the US in the past five years and show potential for rapid growth and employment opportunities. Indian startup founders may benefit from access to funding opportunities and a diverse consumer base in the US, but challenges include stringent eligibility criteria and exposure to US taxation. The impact on Indian startup founders looking to flip back to India remains uncertain.

ETtech Explainer: Why did Google delist popular Indian apps like Naukri, Shaadi, others?

Economic Times

Economic Times · 1y ago

ETtech Explainer: Why did Google delist popular Indian apps like Naukri, Shaadi, others?

Google recently removed several popular apps by ten Indian developers from its Play Store due to non-compliance with billing policies. This move has sparked a dispute between Google and Indian developers over what they perceive as unfair policies. However, some of the apps have since been reinstated after they began complying with Google's billing norms. The Indian internet founders are calling for government intervention, while Google maintains that developers had ample time to prepare for the enforcement of its payment policy. The Indian government has summoned Google and affected startups for a meeting to discuss the issue.

ETtech Explainer: Meet AI ‘Saba’ trained on Arabic, Tamil, Malayalam

Economic Times

Economic Times · 6m ago

ETtech Explainer: Meet AI ‘Saba’ trained on Arabic, Tamil, Malayalam

Indian startups developing Indic AI models face competition from global players like French startup Mistral AI, which launched Mistral Saba, a language model trained in Arabic, Tamil, and Malayalam. Mistral's multilingual push highlights the global interest in regional AI markets, with major companies like OpenAI, Meta, and Google also developing non-English language models. Despite the competition, capturing regional nuances remains a challenge for international players, offering a potential advantage to local Indian startups focusing on diverse languages.

Indian startups urge Google to not delist any app developers from Play Store till March 19

Economic Times

Economic Times · 1y ago

Indian startups urge Google to not delist any app developers from Play Store till March 19

A cluster of Indian startups has written to Google requesting not to delist or take any precipitative steps against app developers until March 19 when their Special Leave Petition (SLP) is heard. This comes after the Supreme Court refused to restrain Google from delisting apps that do not comply with their billing policy. The startups argue that such actions would be detrimental to the ecosystem and request Google to exercise restraint. The SLP appeal challenges Google's alleged new user choice billing policy.

Google Play Delists Indian Apps: Dark Day For Indian Internet, Say Startup Founders

Inc42 · 1y ago

Google Play Delists Indian Apps: Dark Day For Indian Internet, Say Startup Founders

Indian startups are criticizing Google Play for delisting their apps for not complying with the user choice billing system. According to founders, their apps were removed following a Supreme Court ruling on February 9 that declined relief to Indian app developers. The delisting came with short notice, not enough time for startups to respond. Some founders have expressed plans to take legal action against Google. The tech giant claims the delisted companies violated Google Play's policies while complying with payment policies of other app stores. This battle stems from the user choice billing system implemented by Google last year, which drew criticism from startups. Alternative app stores, such as PhonePe's Indus Appstore, have since emerged to challenge the dominance of Google Play.

Google App Billing Policy: Startups Seek Pause On Play Store Delisting Till March 19

Inc42 · 1y ago

Google App Billing Policy: Startups Seek Pause On Play Store Delisting Till March 19

Around 30 Indian startups have appealed to Google not to delist them from the Play Store until the hearing of a special leave petition on March 19. The appeal comes after the Supreme Court refused to prevent Google from delisting apps that do not adhere to its billing policy. The startups argue that any precipitative action by Google would be "extremely detrimental" to all participants in the ecosystem, including startups and app developers. The legal battle began after Google reduced its commission for in-app purchases.

Indian startups are approaching CCI against Google's ‘brazen’ move

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

Indian startups are approaching CCI against Google's ‘brazen’ move

Indian startups have approached the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to intervene in their dispute with Google. The startups argue that Google's decision to delist around 200 Indian apps from the Google Play store was anti-competitive, and they are calling for the tech giant to reverse its decision. The dispute arose due to Google's imposition of fees on in-app payments made by Indian startups, which the startups claim to be an abuse of Google's dominant market position. Union Ministers have also met with Google and Indian startups to seek a resolution to the crisis.

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