Google’s move to cut commission a distraction tactic, says ADIF
3 years, 2 months ago

Google’s move to cut commission a distraction tactic, says ADIF

The Hindu  

Google's move to reduce commissions charged to app developers on in-app purchases is a tactic to "deflect and distract", according to the Alliance of Digital India Foundation. The ADIF, which represents a group of Indian digital startups, said it will continue its efforts to protect fair competition and developer choices in the in-app economy. On Thursday, Google reduced the commission for in-app purchases to 15% from 30%, effective from January 1, 2022 following growing pressure from developers. "As long as Google gets to unilaterally dictate prices and people don't have choices, it's still a Lagaan – be it 30, 15 or even 2, the percentages do not matter.

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History of this topic

India's Competition Commission starts new probe into Google's app store policies following Winzo’s complaint
3 weeks, 4 days ago

India's Competition Commission starts new probe into Google's app store policies following Winzo’s complaint

Firstpost  

Winzo’s claims that Google, through its Play Store, imposes unreasonable terms on app developers via its Developer Distribution Agreement and Developer Program Policies. These policies create a one-sided relationship that limit developers’ ability to operate fairly in the market This investigation is not Google’s first brush with India’s competition watchdog. The probe centres around allegations that Google’s app store policies …

Google hires ex-Apple executive Mitul Shah to lead Pixel's sale and expansion efforts in India
Trending News
4 weeks ago

Google hires ex-Apple executive Mitul Shah to lead Pixel's sale and expansion efforts in India

India Today  

In a strategic move aimed at strengthening its presence in India's premium smartphone market, Google has appointed former Apple India executive Mitul Shah as the Managing Director for its devices and services business in the country. Shah, who previously led consumer sales at Apple India, brings over nine years of experience in the tech industry and is now roped in …

Judge weighs proposed changes to Google’s Android app store to prevent anticompetitive tactics
7 months ago

Judge weighs proposed changes to Google’s Android app store to prevent anticompetitive tactics

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Google is tried to confront the latest in a succession of legal attacks on its digital empire on Thursday as federal judge began to address anticompetitive practices in the app market for smartphones powered by its Android software. The San Francisco court hearing before U.S. District Judge James Donato comes five months after a nine-person jury decided …

India plans to curb Google, PhonePe’s dominance in mobile payments: Report
8 months, 1 week ago

India plans to curb Google, PhonePe’s dominance in mobile payments: Report

The Hindu  

India’s governing body overseeing the country’s Unified Payments Interface mobile payments system is set to engage with fintech startups to develop a strategy to address the growing market dominance of companies including PhonePe and Google pay in the UPI ecosystem. The National Payments Corporation of India plans to meet executives from companies including CRED, Flipkart, Fampay, and Amazon to discuss …

CCI Orders Probe Into Google's Play Store Policies: Here's What The Company Said
9 months, 1 week ago

CCI Orders Probe Into Google's Play Store Policies: Here's What The Company Said

News 18  

The Competition Commission of India on Friday ordered a probe into the Google Play Store, accusing the tech giant of exploiting its dominant position in the country’s online market. The CCI said that Google allegedly imposed unfair terms and discriminatory practices in its Play Store, violating several provisions of the country’s anti-trust law. The CCI decision came after multiple Indian …

Probe into Google's Alleged Anti-Competitive Practices Regarding Play Store Pricing
9 months, 1 week ago

Probe into Google's Alleged Anti-Competitive Practices Regarding Play Store Pricing

Deccan Chronicle  

NEW DELHI: The competition watchdog on Friday ordered a probe against Google for alleged anti-competitive practices with respect to its Play Store pricing policy. “The informants are primarily aggrieved with Google's updated payment policies in relation to its proprietary app store -- Google Play Store -- which is alleged to be in violation of the competition law,” said the Competition …

Competition watchdog orders probe against Google for Playstore pricing policy. What's the issue?
9 months, 1 week ago

Competition watchdog orders probe against Google for Playstore pricing policy. What's the issue?

Hindustan Times  

The competition regulator ordered an investigation against Google on Friday for suspected anti-competitive practices regarding its pricing policy on the Play Store. Google under scrutiny for alleged discriminatory payment policies on Play Store The Competition Commission of India said that the informants were primarily concerned about Google's revised payment policies related to its proprietary app store, Google Play Store, which …

Setting the rules in disputes over apps
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Setting the rules in disputes over apps

Hindustan Times  

Last week, Google delisted the apps of 10 Indian businesses from its proprietary app store. This incident, which saw some apps relisted after mediated discussions, highlights the need for a thoughtful resolution of business disputes in the digital economy, increasingly contested on the notion of “fairness”. The margins-led fight between apps and their distributors has many analogues, such as telecom …

Google reinstates Indian apps, will require payment of dues
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Google reinstates Indian apps, will require payment of dues

The Hindu  

Google is reinstating dozens of apps that were delisted by the company on March 1 for resisting the firm’s platform fees on in-app payments, the tech company said in a statement on March 5. “In the spirit of cooperation, we are temporarily reinstating the apps of the developers with appeals pending in the Supreme Court,” a Google spokesperson said, referring …

Indian startups caught in crosshairs as Google raises compliance heat
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Indian startups caught in crosshairs as Google raises compliance heat

New Indian Express  

India’s tech startups and new-age firms seem to have a compliance problem. The latest Google Play Store episode reveals that some startup promoters believe regulations can be bent and rules broken. Google temporarily removed 10 app developers from its Play Store for not complying with its updated payment policy. Google’s action came after some startups moved the Supreme Court challenging …

Google Play Store: 8 out of 10 Indian companies return to the platform
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Google Play Store: 8 out of 10 Indian companies return to the platform

India TV News  

As the battle between Google and Indian startups intensifies, some apps of 8 out of 10 key homegrown companies who are spearheading the fight with the tech giant are already back on the Google Play Store after they complied with the new policy. Google had delisted more than a dozen apps by major Indian digital companies, including Matrimony and Shaadi.com …

Centre stern after Google's action on Indian apps: ‘Delisting can’t be permitted'
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Centre stern after Google's action on Indian apps: ‘Delisting can’t be permitted'

Hindustan Times  

Union telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took a strong stance for the Indian startups in the middle of the row with Google, saying that the delisting of the apps from the Google Play Store “is not permitted”. Google has taken down several apps from Play Store in India Google's parent company Alphabet Inc sent a notice to 10 companies for the …

Info Edge founder bats for ’Indian app store’ after Google action on Indian apps
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Info Edge founder bats for ’Indian app store’ after Google action on Indian apps

Live Mint  

Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani on Friday called for the creation of India's mobile application store as a part of its ‘Digital Public Infrastructure’ following tech giant Google India's action against mobile applications of 10 Indian companies. The tech giant took down multiple Indian mobile applications like Bharat Matrimony from Play Store because of a dispute over service fee payments. …

Google mulls removing apps by 10 companies in India for not paying service fee
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Google mulls removing apps by 10 companies in India for not paying service fee

Hindustan Times  

Alphabet Inc's Google will enforce action against the apps of 10 companies for not paying a service fee for the usage of its app store platform in India, including potentially de-listing their apps, the tech giant said on Friday. Companies including Walt Disney and Tinder-owner Match have previously sued Google over its policy of imposing a "service fee" of 11%-26% …

Why did Google take action against 10 Indian developers? Here's all you need to know
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Why did Google take action against 10 Indian developers? Here's all you need to know

India TV News  

Google has announced that it will remove some Indian apps from its Play Store. “After giving these developers more than three years to prepare, including three weeks after the Supreme Court’s order, we are taking necessary steps to ensure our policies are applied consistently across the ecosystem, as we do for any form of policy violation globally,” Google wrote in …

Google starts removing multiple Indian apps from Play Store for not paying service fee
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Google starts removing multiple Indian apps from Play Store for not paying service fee

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: Google on Friday began removing some apps, including popular matrimony apps, from its Play Store in India over a dispute on service fee payments. While Bharat Matrimony founder Murugavel Janakiraman described the move as "dark day" for the Internet in India, Kuku FM co-founder Vinod Kumar Meena, in a statement, said that Google was behaving like a 'monopoly'. …

Google Play Store's rival Indus Appstore surpasses one lakh downloads in three days of launch
9 months, 4 weeks ago

Google Play Store's rival Indus Appstore surpasses one lakh downloads in three days of launch

Hindustan Times  

Indus Appstore -- the new Android-based made-in-India app store that is pitted against the might of Google's Play Store -- has surpassed 100,000 downloads in just three days of launch, according to a release on Monday. Indus Appstore -- the new Android-based made-in-India app store that is pitted against the might of Google's Play Store -- has surpassed 100,000 downloads …

PhonePe launches app store to take on Google’s Play Store
10 months ago

PhonePe launches app store to take on Google’s Play Store

Hindustan Times  

Walmart-backed Indian fintech PhonePe on Wednesday launched its app store for Android called Indus Appstore, becoming the first Indian rival to Google’s Play Store. The company is in conversation with multiple phone manufacturers so that the app store can come pre-loaded on different Android cellphones, founder and PhonePe CEO Sameer Nigam said at the launch event in Delhi. “We are …

Google says court order on Disney app fee in India temporary
1 year, 5 months ago

Google says court order on Disney app fee in India temporary

The Hindu  

Google said on Wednesday an Indian court's directive ordering the company to charge a lower 4% in-app payment on Disney's streaming service in the country was a temporary measure until the court proceedings play out. Disney in India has gone to court in what is the latest and most high-profile challenge to Google's policy of imposing a "service fee" of …

Firms resist Google’s fees on in-app purchases, as non-compliance deadline looms
1 year, 6 months ago

Firms resist Google’s fees on in-app purchases, as non-compliance deadline looms

The Hindu  

Dating and matrimonial apps, OTT streaming apps and ed-tech platforms have come together to pressure Google into removing or vastly reducing commissions the search giant charges for in-app purchases on Android smartphones. Last October, the Competition Commission of India ordered Google, among other things, to “not restrict app developers from using any third-party billing/payment processing services, either for in-app purchases …

Indian Government plans action against Google after antitrust breaches
1 year, 7 months ago

Indian Government plans action against Google after antitrust breaches

The Hindu  

India's government plans to take action against Alphabet Inc.'s Google after an antitrust watchdog last year found the group to have abused its market position by indulging in anti-competitive practices, a top IT minister told Reuters. India's antitrust body in October fined Google $275 million in two cases, which involved abusing its dominant position in the Android operating system market, …

Play Store policy breaches to face action
1 year, 7 months ago

Play Store policy breaches to face action

Live Mint  

Google Inc. is set to initiate strict action against Indian apps that fail to comply with its billing policies on Play Store. The announcement follows the controversy over its Play Store policies which led to the Competition Commission of India directing the tech behemoth to allow third-party payment systems for apps on the Play Store. Android apps disseminated via the …

Google prevented 1.43 million apps from entering Play Store for policy violation
1 year, 7 months ago

Google prevented 1.43 million apps from entering Play Store for policy violation

Live Mint  

Search giant Google said Thursday that it has blocked more than 1.43 million ‘policy-violating apps’ from entering the Play Store. The company also said it has "raised the bar" for new developers joining the Play Store ecosystem, resulting in a reduction in the number of accounts used to publish violative apps. In a blog post on Thursday, the search giant …

Google billing policy: Tech giant moves Delhi HC against single judge order
1 year, 8 months ago

Google billing policy: Tech giant moves Delhi HC against single judge order

Hindustan Times  

Google on Tuesday moved the Delhi high court challenging the single judge’s direction to the Competition Commission of India to decide the applications filed by the Alliance of Digital India Foundation against the tech giant’s new user-choice billing policy. A clutch of pleas by ADIF, an industry body of startups, had sought direction to Google to keep its proposed User …

Decide plea against Google’s new billing policy by April 26, Delhi HC orders CCI
1 year, 8 months ago

Decide plea against Google’s new billing policy by April 26, Delhi HC orders CCI

Hindustan Times  

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Monday told the Competition Commission of India to decide a complaint filed by Alliance of Digital India Foundation, an industry body of Indian startups, against Google’s new user-choice billing policy and decide the same by April 26. ADIF contends that the UCB was a cloaked version of the GPBS, which projects the hoax …

Shark Tank judge Anupam Mittal calls Google ‘Digital East India company’
1 year, 8 months ago

Shark Tank judge Anupam Mittal calls Google ‘Digital East India company’

Live Mint  

Shark Tank India judge and Shadi.com founder Anupam Mittal on Thursday hit out at Alphabet-owned Google for its ‘illegal’ choice billing system and even went to the extent of calling the company ‘Digital East India company.’ The billionaire investor said that Google is working in disregard to Indian laws and he hopes that the Prime Minister's Office official is taking …

Indian startups go to court to stop Google’s new in-app billing system
1 year, 8 months ago

Indian startups go to court to stop Google’s new in-app billing system

Live Mint  

A group of Indian startups has asked a court to suspend Alphabet Inc Google's new in-app billing fee system until the country's antitrust body investigates the U.S. firm for alleged non-compliance with its directives, a legal filing showed. The Alliance of Digital India Foundation last month asked India's antitrust regulator to investigate Google for devising a new system startups say …

Indian startups go to court to stop Google's new in-app billing system
1 year, 8 months ago

Indian startups go to court to stop Google's new in-app billing system

The Hindu  

A group of Indian startups has asked a court to suspend Alphabet Inc. Google's new in-app billing fee system until the country's antitrust body investigates the U.S. firm for alleged non-compliance with its directives, a legal filing showed. The Alliance of Digital India Foundation last month asked India's antitrust regulator to investigate Google for devising a new system startups say …

Startups go to court to stop Google’s new in-app billing system
1 year, 8 months ago

Startups go to court to stop Google’s new in-app billing system

Live Mint  

A group of Indian startups has asked a court to suspend Alphabet Inc Google's new in-app billing fee system until the country's antitrust body investigates the U.S. firm for alleged non-compliance with its directives, a legal filing showed. The Alliance of Digital India Foundation last month asked India's antitrust regulator to investigate Google for devising a new system startups say …

Match, Indian startups call for antitrust probe of Google in-app billing fee
1 year, 8 months ago

Match, Indian startups call for antitrust probe of Google in-app billing fee

The Hindu  

Tinder-owner Match Group and Indian startups have asked the country's competition body to investigate Alphabet's Google for alleged non-compliance with an antitrust directive by charging a high service fee for in-app payments, filings show. Google later decided to start offering User Choice Billing for allowing alternative payments alongside Google's when purchasing in-app digital content, but the ADIF said in its …

ADIF Accuses Google Of Disobeying CCI Orders And Charging App Developers Unfair Commissions
1 year, 10 months ago

ADIF Accuses Google Of Disobeying CCI Orders And Charging App Developers Unfair Commissions

News 18  

The Alliance of Digital India Foundation on Thursday said Google is blatantly disobeying CCI orders and charging app developers an exorbitant 11-26 per cent commission even if they opt for alternative billing system. “Google has recently changed its billing requirement for app developers wherein it has mentioned that if a user pays through an alternate billing system, the Google plays …

Google Antitrust Case: Android phones in India only need to pre-load Google Play Store, shows leaked terms
1 year, 10 months ago

Google Antitrust Case: Android phones in India only need to pre-load Google Play Store, shows leaked terms

Firstpost  

Thanks to Google’s antitrust ruling by the CCI, the Android operating system will see a massive change in how it presents itself to audiences, show leaked terms. Earlier this year, India upheld a judgement that was intended to sever Google’s grip over Android, focusing primarily on the applications Google compelled its partners to install, as well as the company’s control …

Decoding Google’s message about Android’s evolution in India
1 year, 10 months ago

Decoding Google’s message about Android’s evolution in India

Hindustan Times  

Google, after the recent legal battle, is finally moving ahead with compliance according to the directives of the Competition Commission of India ; at least compliance with some of what the CCI mentioned in its report late last year. The issues for which directives were mentioned, some of which later became contentious, include licensing of Android to phone makers with …

Google warns India antitrust ruling will hike costs for app developers
1 year, 11 months ago

Google warns India antitrust ruling will hike costs for app developers

Hindustan Times  

Alphabet Inc's Google said on Friday that India's new antitrust order to change how the company markets its Android platform will drive up costs for app developers, equipment makers, and consequently, consumers. Google The Competition Commission of India in October fined Google ₹1,337.76 cr for exploiting its dominant position in Android, and asked it to change restrictions imposed on smartphone …

Google Says Antitrust Order Will Stall Android Growth In India: Report
1 year, 11 months ago

Google Says Antitrust Order Will Stall Android Growth In India: Report

ABP News  

Tech giant Google has warned that the growth of its massively popular Android ecosystem in India will stall due to an antitrust order by the Competition Commission of India that asks it to change how it markets the Android platform, the media has reported. India's antitrust watchdog had penalised the Alphabet-owned company $161 million for exploiting its dominant position in …

Apple fined 1 million euros by Paris court over App Store practices
2 years ago

Apple fined 1 million euros by Paris court over App Store practices

The Hindu  

The Paris Commercial Court on Monday fined iPhone maker Apple just over 1 million euros for imposing abusive commercial clauses on French app developers for access to the company's App Store, the court ruling showed. The ruling, seen by Reuters, said there was no need to order Apple, which has a market value of about $2.1 trillion, to tweak the …

App store avalanche forecast as Apple bows to EU demands
2 years ago

App store avalanche forecast as Apple bows to EU demands

The Hindu  

Apple's rivals are positioning themselves as the go-to alternative to its dominant App Store as the iPhone maker prepares to allow others on its devices in the European Union. The bloc's Digital Markets Act will force Apple and fellow tech giant Google to provide space for third-party app stores on their respective iOS and Android devices. Ben Wood, CMO of …

Google pauses Play Store billing in India after CCI ruling
2 years, 1 month ago

Google pauses Play Store billing in India after CCI ruling

Live Mint  

Android-maker Google has paused its plans to enforce the Google Play billing system on Indian developers from October 31. Following the CCI’s recent ruling, we are pausing enforcement of the requirement for developers to use Google Play’s billing system for the purchase of digital goods and services for transactions by users in India while we review our legal options and …

Explained | Why has Google got a second antitrust fine?
2 years, 1 month ago

Explained | Why has Google got a second antitrust fine?

The Hindu  

The story so far: In the second blow to Google’s coffers in a week, the Competition Commission of India on October 25 imposed a fine of ₹936.44 crore on the tech major for anti-competitive practices in its Play Store policies. In the current matter involving Google, the CCI examined if the company violated the Competition Act through its policy of …

Google plans legal challenge to India’s antitrust crackdown on Android-sources
2 years, 1 month ago

Google plans legal challenge to India’s antitrust crackdown on Android-sources

The Hindu  

Google is planning a legal challenge to block a ruling by India's antitrust watchdog to change its approach to its Android operating system, concerned that it will restrict how it promotes the platform, sources with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters. The Competition Commission of India's Android ruling, despite involving a smaller $162 million fine, has worried Google since …

Google India Responds To Second Setback In A Week: Here’s What It Said
2 years, 1 month ago

Google India Responds To Second Setback In A Week: Here’s What It Said

News 18  

Google India has claimed that it remains committed to its users in the country and is reviewing the decision to take the next steps towards its latest order from the Competition Commission of India on Tuesday. The search engine giant has been penalised for its anti-trust policies where app developers are mandatorily asked to push for payments via the Google …

Govt imposes Rs 936 crore penalty on Google for exploiting market dominance, using Play Store policies against App developers
2 years, 1 month ago

Govt imposes Rs 936 crore penalty on Google for exploiting market dominance, using Play Store policies against App developers

Op India  

On Tuesday, the Competitions Commission of India imposed a penalty of Rs 936.44 crore on Google for exploiting its dominant position in the market with regard to its Play Store policies. Competition Commission of India imposes a penalty of Rs 936.44 cr on Google for abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies, apart from issuing a …

Google is reviewing CCI's decision to evaluate next steps
2 years, 1 month ago

Google is reviewing CCI's decision to evaluate next steps

India TV News  

Google was hit hard by two back-to-back fines by the Competition Commission of India, and the tech giant has stated today that it is committed to its users and developers and reviewing the decision to evaluate the next steps. Last week, the competition watchdog imposed a penalty of Rs 1,337.76 crore on Google for abusing its dominant position in multiple …

Ending dominance: The Hindu Editorial on Competition Commission of India’s ruling against Google
2 years, 1 month ago

Ending dominance: The Hindu Editorial on Competition Commission of India’s ruling against Google

The Hindu  

The recent order of India’s competition regulator against Google for abusing its dominant position in the Android mobile device ecosystem is significant not just for the amount of penalty imposed but also for the drastic changes in business practices that it requires the IT giant to undertake. On Thursday, the Competition Commission of India imposed a penalty of about ₹1,337 …

CCI Imposes ₹936.44 Crore Cost On Google, Says Google Play's Mandatory Billing System For Paid Apps & In-App Purchases Unfair
2 years, 1 month ago

CCI Imposes ₹936.44 Crore Cost On Google, Says Google Play's Mandatory Billing System For Paid Apps & In-App Purchases Unfair

Live Law  

The Competition Commission of India on Tuesday said it has imposed a penalty of Rs. The order has been passed in respect of the "mandatory" usage of Google Play's Billing System, for paid apps and in-app purchases - which the CCI said constitutes an imposition of unfair condition on app developers. CCI Imposes ₹936.44 Crore Cost On Google, Says Google …

In second penalty in a week, CCI fines Google ₹936.44 crore for its Play Store policies
2 years, 1 month ago

In second penalty in a week, CCI fines Google ₹936.44 crore for its Play Store policies

The Hindu  

The Competition Commission of India on Tuesday imposed a penalty of ₹936.44 crore on Google for “abusing its dominant position with respect to its Play Store policies”, in the second such penalty on the internet giant within a week. The regulator noted that Play Store is by far the largest app marketplace connecting app developers with users on Android ecosystem …

Google faces pressure in India to help curb illegal lending apps
2 years, 3 months ago

Google faces pressure in India to help curb illegal lending apps

The Hindu  

Alphabet Inc's Google has been asked by the Indian government and the central bank to introduce more stringent checks to help curb the use of illegal digital lending applications in India, according to sources. Even though Google doesn't fall under the Reserve Bank of India's ambit, the U.S. tech giant has been called several times in the last few months …

Google faces pressure in India to help curb illegal lending apps: Report
2 years, 3 months ago

Google faces pressure in India to help curb illegal lending apps: Report

Live Mint  

Alphabet Inc's Google has been asked by the Indian government and the central bank to introduce more stringent checks to help curb the use of illegal digital lending applications in India, according to sources. Even though Google doesn't fall under the Reserve Bank of India's ambit, the U.S. tech giant has been called several times in the last few months …

Google To Cut Fees For App Developers, Allow Them To Use Rival Payment Systems
2 years, 5 months ago

Google To Cut Fees For App Developers, Allow Them To Use Rival Payment Systems

News 18  

BRUSSELS: Alphabet unit Google said it will from Tuesday cut fees to 12%, from 15%, for non-gaming app developers on its Google Play App Store which switch to rival payment systems, as it moves to comply with new EU tech rules. The EU rules known as the Digital Markets Act, which will come into force next year, require tech giants …

Google to allow app developers to use rival payment systems, to cut fees
2 years, 5 months ago

Google to allow app developers to use rival payment systems, to cut fees

The Hindu  

Alphabet unit Google said it will from Tuesday cut fees to 12%, from 15%, for non-gaming app developers on its Google Play App Store which switch to rival payment systems, as it moves to comply with new EU tech rules. The EU rules known as the Digital Markets Act, which will come into force next year, require tech giants to …

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