Google row over apps blows over for time being

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 5

Google has for now agreed to fully restore the 10 e-commerce apps it had delisted from its Play Store. The move follows a meeting between representatives of Internet giant Google and the Indian Government.

Union Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw today said “both Google and start-ups have met us. We have had very constructive discussions and finally, Google has agreed to list all apps and restore the status that existed on Friday morning (March 1)”.

“Google has been supporting our technology development journey and we believe that in the coming months, both the start-up community and Google will come to a long-term resolution,” the minister said. On March 1, Google had removed 10 apps doing e-commerce business from its Play Store. By next day, the apps had been restored. However, this had not ended the tussle between these 10 apps and Google.

On March 2, Vaishnaw had said “such measures by Google cannot be permitted”. The start-up ecosystem is the key to the Indian economy and their fate cannot be left to any big tech to decide, the minister asserted.

Google, on its part, removed the 10 apps citing non-compliance with billing policies. The move sparked a contentious dispute between the tech giant and Indian app developers over what they perceive as “unfair” policies.

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