What you need to know
- Paytm has launched a mini-app store of its own to challenge Google's Play Store in India
- Google, meanwhile, has delayed its new Play Store billing policy in India to April 2022.
- The new policy requires developers to use Google's own billing system for in-app purchases, which takes a 30% cut from the payments.
Paytm, which is India's most popular payments app, launched a mini-app store of its own today, aiming to challenge Google's Play Store in the country (via TechCrunch). The mini-app store already includes several popular apps and is claimed to reach over 150 million monthly active users.
The new Paytm mini-app store is open to all developers and offers features such as one-step login and support for subscription-based payments. And unlike Google, Paytm says it will not take any cut from developers for using its payment instruments. However, a 2% charge will be levied on payment instruments such as credit/debit cards and Net Banking.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma, co-founder and CEO, Paytm, said in a statement:
I am proud that we are today launching something that creates an opportunity for every Indian app developer. Paytm mini app store empowers our young Indian developers to leverage our reach and payments to build new innovative services.
The launch of Paytm's mini-app store comes as Google is pushing back the enforcement of its new Play Store billing policy in the country to April 2022. In a statement, Google has said that it will be setting up listening sessions with Indian startups to "understand their concerns more deeply." It also plans to set up Policy Workshops to clear additional questions about the updated Play Store policies.
The new rules, which will be enforced globally from September 2021, require all developers to use Google's billing system to offer in-app purchases, which takes a 30% cut from payments.
Google set to double down on controversial 30% Play Store cut
