On Friday, Google initiated the removal of apps belonging to 10 companies in India, a move that includes popular matrimony apps like Bharat Matrimony. This action stems from a disagreement over service fee payments, potentially leading to a showdown between the tech giant and startup firms.The dispute revolves around attempts by Indian startups to resist Googles imposition of fees ranging from 11% to 26% on in-app payments. This comes after the countrys antitrust authorities mandated Google to dismantle its previous fee structure of charging 15% to 30%.However, despite court rulings in January and February, Google hasnt provided any relief to startups to either levy the free or remove apps.Which apps were deletedFounder of Matrimony.com, Murugavel Janakiraman, called it a dark day for the Indian Internet. He lamented the gradual deletion of their apps one by one. Dating apps like Bharat Matrimony, Christian Matrimony, Muslim Matrimony, and Jodii were deleted on Friday. Google has issued notices of Play Store violations to Indian companies Matrimony.com and Info Edge, the latter operating a similar app called Jeevansathi. Executives from both firms stated that they are reviewing the notices and considering their next steps.Decline in shares after Googles decisionShares of Matrimony.com and Info Edge experienced declines following the report. Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder of Info Edge, clarified that they had promptly settled all outstanding Google invoices and were compliant with Googles policies.In a blog post, Google highlighted that 10 Indian companies had opted not to pay for the value they derive from Google Play for an extended period. It emphasized that no court or regulator had challenged its right to charge fees, with the Supreme Court refusing to intervene in this matter on February 9.Whats nextThis move by Google may provoke backlash from the Indian startup community, which has long been critical of the tech giants
