Google begins to enforce Play Store policies in India, to remove non-compliant apps

Google on Friday said that after giving developers in India more than three years to prepare, including three weeks after the Supreme Court’s order, it is taking necessary “ensure our policies are applied consistently across the ecosystem, as we do for any form of policy violation globally”.

The company said in a blog post that enforcement of its policy, when necessary, can include removal of non-compliant apps from Google Play.

Developers are welcome to resubmit their apps to be listed on Play by electing any of the three billing options as part of the company’s payments policy.

One of the options is to operate on a consumption-only basis without paying a service fee, even if it is part of a paid service.

“With this option, any developer could allow a user of their app to access content that they paid for outside the app,” said Google.

The second option is to integrate Google Play’s billing system to transact with millions of customers around the world and give their users safe ways to pay and the ability to manage their payments from a central location.

The third option is to offer an alternative billing system alongside Google Play’s for users in India.

“When users opt for alternative billing systems, the fee is further reduced by an additional four per cent. App developers expanding in international markets can also enroll as part of our user choice billing pilot currently available in 35 markets,” Google explained.

In the meantime, “these developers continue to have other options to operate their business on Android, including distribution through alternative Android app stores or directly via their websites.”

“Existing users will be able to continue to access the apps without interruption — and we continue to offer our support to help developers get into compliance,” said the company.

The Android and Play ecosystem have collectively supported over 2.5 million jobs in India, said the company. In India, less than 60 developers on Google Play are subject to fees above 15 per cent, it added.

The company said it has over 200,000 Indian developers using Google Play who adhere to the policies.

The Supreme Court last month issued notice on a petition to Google India filed by tech startups, challenging Google Play Store's billing policy as “exploitative”.