Google’s monopoly over Android — the mobile operating system used by most smartphones around the world — is a major concern for Indian start-ups, a top executive at online payments firm Paytm said Tuesday. Last Friday [Sep 18], the app was temporarily removed from the Google Play Store. Paytm said the U.S. tech giant told the Indian tech firm its app contained “content that doesn’t comply with (Google’s) Gambling policy.”
(CNBC, September 22)
Arushi Chawla's key takeaways:
- Obviously parallels here with Epic Games’ legal battle with Apple, though Paytm has yielded by removing a ‘cashback’ campaign to get back into the Google Play Store.
- With 95% of Indian smartphone users on Android, Google is in a powerful but delicate position. India’s antitrust body has been looking into allegations Google is unfairly promoting the Google Pay app domestically.
- Stay tuned for more on this. When Paytm’s founder was asked if he would take legal recourse against Google he answered all options were open.