PhonePe Introduces Indigenous Android-Based Mobile App Store, Aims to Challenge Google

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Disclaimer: This is a rewritten version of the original blog post. The content has been paraphrased to maintain the original meaning while ensuring uniqueness.

Walmart-backed fintech company PhonePe recently introduced its own Android-based mobile app store, named Indus Appstore, aimed at challenging Google's dominance in the Indian app marketplace. With over 90% of Indian smartphone users on Android, Google Play Store holds sway, accounting for an estimated 74% of in-app expenditures in India.




Indus Appstore offers Indian users access to a diverse range of 200,000 mobile apps and games spanning 45 categories. It provides app discovery in 12 Indian languages, featuring video-led exploration, mobile number-based login, and app updates tailored to users' data plans.

Concerns among app developers regarding service charges and billing systems in current app stores, primarily controlled by Google and Apple, prompted this move. Google imposes a 15% service fee for the first $1 million in annual developer revenue, which escalates to 30% thereafter. Similarly, Apple's developer program charges a $99 membership fee per year, with a 15% commission under the App Store Small Business Program.

PhonePe addressed these concerns by offering developers a waiver on app listing fees for one year (until April 1, 2025) and allowing the use of third-party payment gateways for in-app billing without commission charges.

The launch of Indus Appstore aligns with the growing demand among Indian startups for increased competition in the mobile app store landscape, fostering a more democratic digital ecosystem. Sameer Nigam, CEO and founder of PhonePe, emphasized the app store's localization efforts, focusing on browsing, searching, video discovery, and product descriptions in multiple languages.

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, endorsed the launch, hinting at the potential rollout of homegrown semiconductor chips by December 2024 and the development of a native handset brand in the future as India's manufacturing ecosystem evolves.





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