PhonePe’s Indus Appstore supports regional languages and Indian apps, aiming to compete with Google in India’s app market.
Last month, the financial technology leader PhonePe launched the Indus Appstore, a local alternative designed to challenge Google’s strong hold on the Indian app market.
With over 200,000 apps across 45 categories already available, Indus is making some serious noise in its debut. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
What Does the Indus Appstore Offer?
Indus is becoming increasingly popular with developers for several key reasons. First, it offers more favorable terms regarding app store commissions. Unlike Google, which takes a share of in-app purchases, Indus allows developers to use third-party payment gateways without imposing any fees for an entire year.
Another significant aspect is its focus on localization. The Indus Appstore caters to the Indian market with features like support for 12 regional languages and a preference for showcasing Indian apps prominently on its homepage. Additionally, the app discovery process has been enhanced with an “Instagram-like” experience, where users can browse through a carousel of apps and games. Furthermore, the convenience of signing in with just a mobile number, a feature reminiscent of WhatsApp, adds to its user-friendly appeal.
A key factor in Indus’s potential success is its ongoing discussions to become a pre-installed default app store on smartphones from leading brands. This strategic move could significantly enhance its visibility and user adoption.
The launch of Indus comes at a time when there’s a noticeable unrest among Indian developers regarding Google’s policy and commission structures. This sentiment was underscored this month when 10 Indian app developers were reported to have violated Play Store’s policies, prompting Google to issue a warning that their apps could face removal from its platform.
These circumstances have provided a substantial boost to the Indus Appstore’s profile. Within just a few weeks of its launch, the platform has attracted over 500,000 downloads. PhonePe’s projections indicate that the app store is on a fast track to hitting a milestone of 1 million users soon, showcasing the significant interest and potential growth for Indus in the app store market.
Is It Capable of Competing with the Play Store?
Despite Indus’s impressive debut, it faces a challenging journey to establish itself as a genuine alternative to Google Play. Currently, Google’s Play Store commands a dominant position in the Indian market, holding over 95% market share.
For Indus to pose a substantial challenge, industry experts emphasize the importance of securing preload agreements with top smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung and Xiaomi. Although Indus has partnerships with smaller brands like Nokia and Lava, which each hold less than 3% market share, these relationships are not expected to significantly impact its market presence.
How to try out Indus Appstore
- Visit indusappstore.com and download the APK file.
- Enable the option on your device to allow installation from unknown sources.
- Install the Indus Appstore APK on your device.
- Create an account using your mobile number.
- Browse the app store’s catalog or use the search function to find specific apps.
- Tap the download button to initiate the download of your chosen app.
- Enable unknown app installations for the Indus Appstore when prompted.
- Install and update apps easily within the Indus Appstore.
- Uninstall any unwanted apps directly through the app store.