PhonePe’s recently launched Android-based Appstore named as Indus has achieved a significant milestone of surpassing 100,000 downloads within just 3 days of its launch.
The Indus Appstore was officially introduced on February 21, 2024, which offers users access to over 2,00,000 mobile apps and games across 45 categories. Despite being a side-loaded application, requiring users to download it from the website and grant additional permissions, the platform has garnered widespread attention and adoption.
India’s Home grown App Store
Reflecting on the rapid uptake of the Indus Appstore, Akash Dongre, The Chief Product Officer and Co-founder, expressed his delight, emphasising the readiness for a homegrown app store. Dongre reiterated the company’s commitment to evolving the platform continuously to cater to the diverse needs of Indian users and foster a vibrant developer community.
The feedback from developers, tech enthusiasts and users has been overwhelmingly positive with particular commendation for the platform’s zero commission model, support for 12 regional languages and innovative video-led app discovery features. The platform’s alignment with the preferences of Indian consumers has contributed to its swift adoption.
Potential of Indus Appstore in India’s technological leadership
Interestingly, the event launch was appraised by the Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronics & IT and was witnessed by key industry leaders from companies such as Dream11, Hotstar, Hungama, BharatMatrimony, DailyHunt, IXIGO, and MapMyIndia. Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa of India, delivered a keynote address, highlighting the potential of Indus Appstore in bolstering India’s technological leadership.
Kant praised the platform’s timely arrival and its ability to bridge expectations between developers and app store providers. He emphasized that by supporting 12 languages, the Indus Appstore will strengthen the Android ecosystem’s competitiveness in India.
In anticipation of the app store’s launch, industry leaders, app developers, and OEMs had expressed keen interest, recognizing its potential to disrupt the market currently dominated by Google’s Play Store, which commands a staggering 95% share of the Android smartphone market in India.
