The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), an industry body for India’s digital startups, has released a study of the app store policies of big tech companies such as Apple and Google and their “adverse effects on Indian developers and users.”
From the report: Both Apple and Google charge a hefty fee for the services that their app stores provide. Starting October 2022, Google – which has a mobile OS market share of over 95% in India – will effectively bar developers from using any other method to accept payments from customers, thus forcing the payment of its commission.
Several Indian developers have objected to the quantum of the commissions, and the lack of choice in picking a payments system, terming the proposed policy unreasonable. The monopolistic policies of the app stores and their abuse of market power are forcing unfavourable terms on developers, who are left with no choice but to comply.
Taking cognizance of these issues, several regulators around the world have expressed concerns with the policies of the dominant app stores. Apple is currently under investigation from regulators in the US, Europe, Japan, Australia and India, while Google is also facing proceedings in the US, Europe and India, among other countries. In India, cases have been filed against Google and Apple with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), which is investigating them for abuse of market power.
The report, “Towards Regulating App Stores” was prepared by ADIF and The Quantum Hub, a public policy consulting firm. You can read or download it here.
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