IAMAI recommends Google to refrain from delisting Indian apps from Play Store

Google had issued warnings to well-established companies that refused to pay the service fee for in-app sales of digital goods.

Digital Desk: In a recent development, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has urged Google to refrain from delisting Indian apps from the Play Store. Google had decided to remove several apps, including popular matrimony platforms, due to alleged non-compliance with its payments policy. IAMAI, representing affected members, confirmed that four of its members received notices from Google over a billing dispute and emphasized that Google should avoid delisting any apps during the pending Supreme Court case.

The IAMAI stated, "The affected members of IAMAI are of the view that a substantive hearing of the case is pending before the Supreme Court of India, and Google should not take any coercive action during the pendency of the case." Google had issued warnings to well-established companies that refused to pay the service fee for in-app sales of digital goods. The tech giant emphasized its commitment to enforcing policies, which includes the removal of non-compliant apps from the Google Play store.

While Google did not disclose the names of delisted apps, searches for matrimonial apps like Shaadi, Matrimony.com, and Bharat Matrimony yielded no results on Android phones. Other affected apps include Altt (formerly ALTBalaji) by Balaji Telefilms, audio platform Kuku FM, dating service Quack Quack, and Truly Madly, Hindustan Times reports.

Shadi dot com CEO Anupam Mitta took to ‘X’ to express his pain over the removal, he said, "Today is a dark day for India's Internet. Google has delisted major apps from its app store even though legal hearings are underway.”

In a separate development, Google CEO Sundar Pichai is facing calls for resignation amidst the fallout from the AI image generator Gemini's inaccuracies. Google paused the Gemini service due to the generation of highly inaccurate images, causing a decline in the company's stock value. Business Insider reports suggest that the board is considering Pichai's replacement to navigate through recent setbacks, including the Gemini debacle.

Analysts argue that Google requires a comprehensive transformation to revive its business, and there are growing questions about the current management team's ability to guide the company successfully, Hindustan Times reports.

The company clarified that existing users can continue to use the delisted apps, but new downloads are temporarily restricted. Developers are encouraged to resubmit their apps with one of the three billing options as part of Google's payment policy.