New Delhi: Food delivery apps Zomato and Swiggy have received notices from Google for their in-app gamification features that allegedly violate the tech giant’s Play Store guidelines.
The development comes just weeks after Paytm was blocked in the Play Store for a few hours for violating Google’s policy on sports betting activities.
When contacted, Zomato confirmed that they had received the notice and called it “unfair.”
“Yes, we have received a notice from Google. We believe the notice is unfair, but we are a small company and have already realigned our business strategy to comply with Google’s guidelines,” a Zomato spokesperson said in an emailed response. .
The spokesperson added that the company will replace the Zomato Premier League with another program for the weekend.
While Swiggy did not comment on the development, sources said the company has stopped the feature in the app and is in conversation with Google on this issue.
Google did not comment on the matter.
Several companies are trying to capitalize on the current Indian Premier League (IPL) and have added gamification features to attract customers, improve engagement, and increase sales.
On September 18, the Paytm app was blocked from the Play Store for a few hours for violating Google’s policy on sports betting activities.
The app was restored after SoftBank-backed Paytm removed the ‘refund’ feature tied to a game in the app.
Paytm had alleged that the major search engine “twisted its arm” to comply with its skewed Play Store policies “which are intended to artificially create Google’s market dominance.”
Interestingly, Google had clarified on Tuesday that applications that choose to sell digital content through its Play Store will have to use Google Play’s billing system and pay a percentage of the in-app purchase as a fee.
Many Indian startups have raised concerns around this move, saying that Google cannot force Indian app developers / owners to sell digital services by mandating use of its billing system and giving the US-based company a contract. A 30 percent fee on each transaction.
Many founders also believe that India needs a local app store to offer more options to consumers.
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