Google announced that it has agreed to temporarily bring back apps it removed from the Play Store due to policy issues while their appeals are pending.
“In the spirit of cooperation, we are temporarily reinstating the apps of developers with appeals pending in the Supreme Court. Google maintains its right to enforce its business model but will extend payment deadlines for these companies,” a Google spokesperson said.
This move appears to follow intervention by the government after IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw criticized the app delistings last week. Vaishnaw later stated that Google had agreed to relist the apps.
“Google and start-up company, both have met with us. We have had very constructive discussions and finally, Google has agreed to list all the Apps as on the status which was there on Friday morning (1st March), that status will be restored,” Vaishnaw told ANI.
The delisting had drawn criticism from Indian founders. Shadi.com founder Anupam Mittal said, “Google is attempting to wipe out developers who made its Play Store a success but it won’t be that easy. We will fight monopolistic designs against our economy, founders & country”
Apps like Shaadi.com, ALTBalaji, KukuFM, and others were among those removed by Google. Before delisting, Google explained its position on action against platforms not following its policies. It stated that some developers chose not to comply and sought court protection, but did not name them.
Google highlighted that giving differential treatment to a small group of developers creates an uneven playing field and disadvantages other apps. It disclosed that over 200,000 Indian developers on Google Play adhere to its policies.
Less than 60 developers on Google Play are subjected to fees above 15% under its new pricing programs.
