IT Minister: Google Agrees to Restore Deleted Indian Apps

FILE PHOTO: A logo of Google is seen on its office building in Hyderabad, India, January 29, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A logo of Google is seen on its office building in Hyderabad, India, January 29, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo
TT

IT Minister: Google Agrees to Restore Deleted Indian Apps

FILE PHOTO: A logo of Google is seen on its office building in Hyderabad, India, January 29, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A logo of Google is seen on its office building in Hyderabad, India, January 29, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

Alphabet's Google has agreed to restore dozens of Indian apps it deleted from its app store after a dispute over service fee payments, India's Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Tuesday.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Google on Friday removed from its Play Store many Indian apps, including Matrimony.com's popular Bharat Matrimony and job search app Naukri, saying the companies were not abiding by its in-app payment guidelines.

The removal has sparked criticism from many startups who have for years protested and legally challenged many of the US giant's practices, including its in-app fee. Google says the fees help develop and promote the Android and Play Store ecosystem.



Apple Fined $570 Million and Meta $228 Million for Breaching EU Law 

The Apple logo is seen at the flagship Apple retail store in San Francisco, California April 27, 2015. (Reuters)
The Apple logo is seen at the flagship Apple retail store in San Francisco, California April 27, 2015. (Reuters)
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Apple Fined $570 Million and Meta $228 Million for Breaching EU Law 

The Apple logo is seen at the flagship Apple retail store in San Francisco, California April 27, 2015. (Reuters)
The Apple logo is seen at the flagship Apple retail store in San Francisco, California April 27, 2015. (Reuters)

Apple was fined 500 million euros ($570 million) on Wednesday and Meta 200 million euros, as European Union antitrust regulators handed out the first sanctions under landmark legislation aimed at curbing the power of Big Tech.

The EU fines could stoke tensions with US President Donald Trump who has threatened to levy tariffs against countries that penalize US companies.

The sanctions followed a year-long investigation by the European Commission, the EU executive, into whether the companies comply with the Digital Markets Act that seeks to allow smaller rivals into markets dominated by big tech.

Reuters had flagged the EU decisions on Apple and Meta last month.