According to a report by news agency Reuters, Google has initiated the removal of numerous applications from the Play Store in India, including prominent matrimonial apps like BharatMatrimony.
This action is unfolding amidst a disagreement concerning service fee payments, with Google insisting on levying charges ranging from 11 percent to 26 percent on in-app transactions.
The disagreement stems from efforts by certain Indian startups to resist Google's fee structure, following directives from the country's antitrust authorities to revise its earlier fee system, which imposed charges between 15 percent to 30 percent.
Despite two court rulings in January and February that did not favor relief for startups, including one from the Supreme Court, Google has maintained its stance on fee collection or app removal.
Matrimony.com, the parent company of Bharat Matrimony, has confirmed the deletion of its dating apps, describing the action as a "dark day for the Indian Internet".
"We are witnessing the gradual removal of our apps," remarked Murugavel Janakiraman, founder of Matrimony.com, expressing concern over the ongoing removal process.
Notices of Play Store violations have been issued to Indian companies by Google, including Matrimony.com and Info Edge, which operates Jeevansathi.
Executives from both companies mentioned in the report are currently evaluating the notices and contemplating their next steps.
Following the Reuters report, shares of Matrimony.com experienced a decline of up to 2.7 percent, while Info Edge saw a 1.5 percent drop.
Sanjeev Bikhchandani, the founder of Info Edge, stated that they had promptly settled all outstanding Google invoices and adhered to its policies.
Earlier, Google had released a blog post disclosing that ten Indian companies had failed to comply with the payment policies on Google Play.
The removal of apps from the Play Store by Google could potentially trigger dissatisfaction within the Indian startup community, which has long criticized the company's practices.
Nevertheless, Google maintains its stance, asserting that its fee structure is essential for supporting investments in the app store and the Android mobile operating system. It emphasizes that only a small fraction of Indian developers on its platform are subject to service fees.
Given Google's dominant position in the Indian market, where it controls 94 percent of Android-based phones, the ongoing dispute highlights the complexities of the tech ecosystem and the challenges confronted by startups.
