India plans launch of own app store as alternative to Google, Apple

Indian government is also considering a plan to make it mandatory for Android phones to be pre-installed with its apps

BENGALURU:

India is planning to launch its own app store as an alternative to the ones offered by Apple and Alphabet-owned Google, in a bid to make the country more self-reliant, ET Now reported on Thursday, citing government sources.

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#ETNOWExclusive | #Aatmanirbhar App Store Coming Soon? Sources tell ET NOW that Modi-govt is planning to launch its own App Store as an alternative to #Google & #Apple's app stores! @NayantaraRai with exclusive details!@PMOIndia @rsprasad @_DigitalIndia @GooglePlay @AppStore pic.twitter.com/eYoNVsdcC3

— ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) October 1, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government may ramp up its Mobile Seva App Store for this purpose, the television channel reported, without providing further details.

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“Android has a 97% market share in India. So, we should intervene and handhold Indian startups,” ET Now quoted government sources as saying, adding that the store would not charge the 30% fee to host apps, unlike Google or Apple.

The government is also considering a plan to make it mandatory for Android phones to be pre-installed with its apps, as per the channel’s report.