India’s fintech platform PhonePe is working to challenge the Google Play store in India. The company is working on its own Android App Store dubbed the PhonePe app store. The App Store will be designed to offer hyper-localized services and help Indian developers.
As per internal documents accessed by TechCrunch, PhonePe App Store will be available in 12 Indian languages. It will also offer 24×7 live chat support.
It is worth noting that PhonePe acquired Indus OS back in 2022. Indus OS offers a local language app store called Indus App Bazaar. So, we know how PhonePe is fulfilling its dream of making an App Store.
PhonePe is also holding conversations with phone makers to bring its app stores preinstalled on some Android devices.
“We expect to be live on all Android OEMs within the first few months of launch. We have already closed terms with one of the largest OEMs and are trying to get the others rapidly onboard over the next couple of months,” a PhonePe spokesperson told TechCrunch.
There are several alternative app stores for Android apps. Some of the popular Android app stores are Galaxy Store, Amazon App Store, and F-Droid. In India, Google accounts for 97% of the Indian app store market. So, there’s a scope for an alternative App Store.
