Walmart-owned digital payments firm PhonePe has launched the Indus Appstore, a homegrown Android app store designed to compete with Google Play Store in India. The launch comes as India’s app economy continues to grow, with Indians spending about 1.19 trillion hours on mobile apps in 2023. The Indus Appstore aims to capitalize on this booming market by offering a mobile number-based login system to attract consumers without email accounts.
PhonePe has partnered with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Nokia and Lava to integrate the app store into their devices. This partnership will be crucial for driving adoption among consumers, as manually sideloading apps can be a cumbersome process. The Indus Appstore allows developers to list their apps in 12 Indian languages and offers a zero percent fee on in-app purchases, in contrast to the 15-30 percent fee charged by Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Developer platform launch
In addition to providing a platform for app developers, the Indus Appstore aims to address common pain points faced by developers with Google and Apple. It offers 24×7 dedicated India-based support and dedicated account managers, providing assistance and quick resolution of queries. This launch comes at a time when Google is facing regulatory scrutiny over its app marketplaces in India.
The Indus Appstore has been in the works since PhonePe acquired the indigenous Android content and app discovery platform Indus OS in July 2022. Apart from annual fees, the app store will likely monetize its offering through advertising and value-added services for developers. Developers can promote their apps through boosted visibility on search, dedicated video slots, and custom targeted ad campaigns.
Overall, the launch of the Indus Appstore presents a new player in the Indian app market, offering developers an alternative platform with localized language support and lower fees. It remains to be seen how successful the Indus Appstore will be in challenging the dominance of Google Play Store, but it certainly adds more options for app developers and consumers in India.
