Info Edge's Naukri, Shiksha, 99 acres removed from Google Play Store

Info Edge (India) Ltd on Saturday said its mobile apps, including naukri.com, 99 acres.com, and shiksha.com have been removed from Google Play Store.

This comes a day after Google began removing some apps, including popular matrimony apps, from its Play Store in India over a dispute on service fee payments.

Google has said that 10 companies in the country, including "many well-established" had avoided paying fees despite benefiting from the platform.

"We would like to inform you that the company's mobile applications (viz. Naukri.com Job Search App, Naukri Recruiter, Naukrigulf Job Search App, 99acres Buy/Sell/Rent Property and Shiksha), have been removed/delisted from Google Play Store today by Google, along with several mobile applications of other companies/entities as well," Info Edge (India) Ltd said in a BSE filing.

It said the action comes as a surprise to the company as it was taken without giving due and sufficient notice by Google.

Info Edge clarified that users who already have its mobile apps downloaded on their mobile devices can continue to use the same. In addition, all users who are using the apps through other platforms (such as Apple App Store) or through the web platforms concerned (on both mobile and desktop), are not impacted by this change.

"The company is reviewing and evaluating the next course of action and working with Google in this regard, to ensure that the company's mobile applications are reinstated on Google Play Store, in the best timely manner," the filing added.

The dispute is over Google imposing a fee of 11-26 per cent on in-app payments after anti-competition body CCI ordered scrapping of an earlier system of charging 15-30 per cent.

Google went ahead to remove the apps not paying the fee after the Supreme Court did not provide interim relief to companies behind these apps in their battle against the search giant's platform fees.

However, Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani on Friday said it had cleared all pending Google invoices in a timely manner and was compliant with its policies.

"Indian companies will comply - for now. But what India needs is an App Store/ Play Store that is a part of Digital Public Infrastructure - like UPI and ONDC. The response needs to be strategic," he said in a post on X tagging Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his office.