Paytm Mini App Store Targets a Million Apps by Q1 2021 to Take on Google

Paytm's mini app store will allow "app developers to, for good, forget about going through somebody else's kingdom or roads," Sharma said.

By Reuters | Updated: 8 October 2020 17:18 IST

Paytm Mini App Store Targets a Million Apps by Q1 2021 to Take on Google

Paytm's Sharma is trying to use the discontent to attract business to his newly launched mini app store

Highlights

Paytm was temporarily removed from the Android app store last month
Google's Android OS powers nearly 99 percent of India's smartphones
Google also faces four antitrust cases in India

Alibaba-backed Indian fintech firm Paytm is aiming for a million apps on its "mini app store" by the first quarter of 2021, it said on Thursday, seeking to challenge the dominance of Alphabet's Google in India's mobile web economy.

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma called Google "judge, jury and executioner" after his app was temporarily removed from the Android app store last month for a policy violation. On Thursday, he kicked off his company's "Mini App Developer Conference" by calling Google a "toll collector".

Google, whose Android operating system powers nearly 99 percent of India's roughly 500 million smartphones, has faced criticism from several startups in the country over a move to enforce its global policy more strictly and charge a 30 percent commission for in-app purchases.

Google May Face Antitrust Case in India Over Google Pay App

That criticism led the US tech giant this week to defer by six months its deadline for Indian companies to comply with the new billing system.

Paytm's Sharma is trying to use the discontent to attract business to his newly launched mini app store, which is hosted within the Paytm app. He has vowed not charge domestic app developers any fees.

"Neither a company from the East, nor a company from the West, if someone will rule India it will be an Indian company," Sharma said in the virtual conference.

Google Said to Face Antitrust Probe in China Over Android Dominance

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A mini application is typically hosted within a bigger app and the user experience may not be as seamless as a standalone app, but it can save app developers the time and money involved in building more complex apps.

Paytm's mini app store will allow "app developers to, for good, forget about going through somebody else's kingdom or roads," Sharma said.

Paytm Launches Mini App Store for Indian Developers

Paytm, also backed by Japan's SoftBank and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, will create a Rs. 10,00,000 fund for India's mini app developers, Sharma added.

For Google, the face-off against Paytm and other Indian app startups creates a new problem in one of its top growth markets, where it has committed to spend around $10 billion (roughly Rs. 73,265 crores) over the next five to seven years through equity investments and tie-ups.

Google also faces four antitrust cases in India, the latest of which alleges the Mountain View, California-based tech giant abused its Android operating system's dominant position to garner an unfair advantage in the smart TV market.

Google has denied any wrongdoing.

Disclosure: Paytm's parent company One97 is an investor in Gadgets 360.

OnePlus 8T leaked specs look great but where is the cheaper Nord? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.