Breather For Matrimony Apps & Others! Google Reinstates Banned Apps After Govt Intervention

Google's move to delist several Indian apps, including popular ones like BharatMatrimony, Jeevansathi, 99 Acres, Naukri.com, and Shaadi.com, from its Play Store faced massive backlash.

Founders, executives of the affected companies, and users on social media criticized this decision by the technology giant.

Hashtag '#EvilGoogle' started trending in response to the removal of apps.

Anupam Mittal, the founder of Shaadi.com and a Shark Tank judge, expressed his discontent, declaring it a "dark day" for the Indian internet. He highlighted that Google proceeded with delisting the apps despite ongoing legal proceedings at the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and the Supreme Court.

anupam mittal/financialexpress

¡°Their false narratives and audacity show they have little regard for Make no mistake - this is the new Digital East India Co and this #Lagaan must be stopped! Pls RT and #SaveOurStartups,¡± he said on social media platform X.

In a new turn of events, Google has decided to temporarily reinstate all the delisted apps of developers with appeals pending in the Supreme Court, after the government met the tech giant and digital startups to resolve the matter.

In a statement to IANS, a spokesperson for the company asserted the right to uphold and enforce its established business model, as validated in various court rulings. The spokesperson mentioned that they will continue invoicing the complete applicable service fees temporarily, with an extension of payment timelines offered to these companies.

All the apps belonging to 10 companies are to be restored: Ashwini Vashnaw

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Union IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that Google has agreed to address the matter and will reinstate all apps associated with the 10 companies.

"Google has been supporting our technology development journey and we believe that the homegrown startups and the company will come to a long-term solution," he said.

Continuing their fight against Google¡¯s new Play Store policies, Indian startup founders on Monday met Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar to discuss the issue and said that the government has assured them support.

Last week, Google delisted about a dozen apps by major Indian digital companies including Matrimony.com, Naukri.com, Shaadi.com, and others from the Play Store.

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