Google is considering removing numerous apps in India from 10 organizations, including BharatMatrimony and Jeevansathi.
Google is currently considering pulling down apps from ten Indian companies, including some of the country’s most popular matrimonial apps. According to Reuters, the tech giant has chosen to take this action in response to a dispute over these companies’ failure to pay service costs.
According to Reuters, Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google, is likely to launch a confrontation with two of India’s most popular matchmaking apps, Bharat Matrimony and Jeevan Sati, over a pricing dispute that has been going on for months.
The dispute revolves around the companies’ efforts to avoid being subjected to a Google tax of 11% to 26% on in-app payments in India after antitrust authorities forced the system to scrap a scheme that was previously in place and take back the 15% to 30%.
But after two court rulings in January and February, Google was effectively allowed to charge or remove apps, one and it was the Supreme Court that denied any relief to entrepreneurs
Recently, Google has issued notices to several Indian organizations regarding the Play Store breach. These companies include Matrimony.com, which runs the Bharat Matrimony app, and Info Edge, which runs Jeevan Sati. Officials at these companies told Reuters they were investigating the issues and would plan their next steps accordingly.
According to Reuters, Murugavel Janakiraman, the creator of matrimonial.com, stated that these Google notifications may imply that these matrimonial apps “could literally be deleted.” Since the news broke, Matrimony.com shares have fallen 2.7 percent, while Info Edge shares have fallen 1.5%.
Sanjeev Bikhchandani, the founder of Info Edge, stated that the company had paid all due Google invoices on schedule and was in compliance with its regulations.
Google calls out Indian startups.
In a recent weblog, Google stated that ten Indian companies had decided not to pay for the “immense value they receive on Google Play” for a prolonged period of time, without mentioning any specific apps.
“For years, no court or regulator has denied Google Play’s right to charge,” the company stated on Friday, adding that the Supreme Court “refused to interfere” with its ability to do so on February 9.
The withdrawal of Google’s app may enrage the Indian startup community, which has long opposed several of the company’s policies. The company, which denies any wrongdoing, controls the Indian market, with 94% of phones running on its Android platform.
