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Google has issued a warning to 10 app developers in India in a blog post over non-compliance with Play Store policies, saying that their apps could be removed from the platform. The tech giant has not officially disclosed the names of the companies that have violated its app store policies.
On February 9, the Supreme Court agreed to hear pleas by several startups against Google’s billing policies. But the bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud refused to pass an interim order protecting these startups from removal from the Play Store.
“After giving these developers more than three years to prepare, including three weeks after the Supreme Court’s order, we are taking necessary steps to ensure our policies are applied consistently across the ecosystem, as we do for any form of policy violation globally,” Google wrote in its blog post.
The company said that it has been consistently working with developers to help them through its policies and find solutions. Google said that enforcement of its policy could also include removal of non-complaint apps from Google Play.
Moreover, it has given guidelines to developers to resubmit their apps to be listed on Play by opting for one of the three billing options as part of its payments policy. These billing options include operating on a consumption-only basis without paying a service fee, integrating Google Play’s billing system, and offering an alternative billing system. Google has explained these options in detail on its blog.
Google said that the developers continue to have other options to operate their business on Android, including distribution through alternative Android app stores or directly through their websites. The tech giant assured that existing users will be able to continue to access the apps without interruption — and that it will continue to offer support to help developers get into compliance.
“Our commitment to investing in India’s digital future remains unwavering and our continued investments to bring the highest available standard of technology to the ecosystem are testimony to our commitment,” read the blog.
