Startups In India Want To Build Their Own App Store To Bypass Google’s

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pranavdixit/indian-startups-play-store

So…I just read this fascinating article from Buzzfeed News about how developers in India want to build an alternative App Store to fight Google Play’s 30% transaction tax. It’s a very relevant story to the readership of this site given recent events, so i’m sharing it here. There is also a link to TechCrunch’s story on this, which is also interesting.

Unlike in most other countries, Google’s Android has an actual monopoly in the mobile market with 99% marketshare in India.

Conversation 11 comments

  • madthinus

    Premium Member
    02 October, 2020 - 5:44 am

    <p>Problem is that based on the revised and now more strongly enforced Google guidelines, the appstore is welcome, however, you need to use Google's billing back end. So no escaping that 30%</p>

    • bkkcanuck

      02 October, 2020 - 7:22 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#581551">In reply to madthinus:</a></em></blockquote><p>I don't think that is exactly true, a phone manufacturer (local) could chose to implement Android without Google Play at all – but I think that means you lose all the 'free' google apps that come with Android – and you would have to work with mobile phone operators in the process of creating an alternative Android platform etc. Effectively it would be more manageable in a single market since you would have a limited number of phone companies to deal with…. so yes, you could escape the 30%…. but then it would be expensive and time consuming to do so…. but then that is not what most are calling for — they don't want to redo the investment themselves to compete, they want to freely use what another company has implemented while not paying for it IMHO. [Cyanogen – now deceased did something like this]</p>

      • madthinus

        Premium Member
        02 October, 2020 - 8:14 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#581568">In reply to bkkcanuck:</a></em></blockquote><p>You are then building an AOSP device, and you loose more than just apps. Alot of the newer API's are tied to GooglePlay services. The consortium of Chinese manufactures are building their own store, apps and services to replace Google completely. So a hard fork in the road is looming.</p>

        • Mike Turner

          02 October, 2020 - 11:02 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#581572">In reply to madthinus:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>And I wonder how many people outside of China will be interested in adopting that. If they see cheaper apps, or in-app purchases, in those other stores then will that make them consider abandoning Google? For all the concerns about how China might handle data it's not as if Google don't collect and use all our data all over the place. If Google keep trying to move to a more Apple-like level of control then I think a "third" option could be quite compelling for developers and consumers, and the US risks losing stranglehold over the mobile platforms. Where Windows Phone failed, "Alternative Android" stands a real chance with an audience the size of China behind it. If it just fragments to a country or even continent level then that's far less attractive (esp. for developers) and therefore more likely to fail.</p>

        • anoldamigauser

          Premium Member
          01 February, 2021 - 12:35 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#581572">In reply to madthinus:</a></em></blockquote><p>So, if Google prevails in the arguments before SCOTUS that APIs cannot be patented/copyright, which is what should happen but may not, then all that would be needed would be for the AOSP community to create an API using the same calls as those tied to GooglePlay services.</p>

    • quikah

      02 October, 2020 - 11:34 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#581551">In reply to madthinus:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>The guideline only applies to apps from the Play store. </p>

  • simont

    Premium Member
    02 October, 2020 - 10:28 am

    <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">At present you can install other app stores but it is a pain. </span>Android 12 will make it easier to install competing App Stores so this will work better with newer devices next year. The question is how many apps will go to these new stores.</p>

  • waethorn

    02 October, 2020 - 9:02 pm

    <p>Don't they have Jio working on this already?</p>

  • bsobotta

    29 January, 2021 - 11:46 pm

    <p>I have been dealing with the samsung store along with third party stores. It's is a challenge to say the least. I am almost free of Google, i just need to figure out the banking app. </p>

  • anoldamigauser

    Premium Member
    01 February, 2021 - 4:45 pm

    <blockquote><em><a href="#611314">In reply to lvthunder:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yes, but it could be done. Perversely, if Google loses the appeal to the Supreme Court, then they gain the ability to protect their own API.</p>

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC