Page 2 - Apps

COAI renews demand for revenue share between telcos, traffic generator apps

Telecom industry body COAI renewed its demand for revenue share between telcos and large traffic generator apps like Netflix and Instagram, saying telecom operators would need additional fund to upgrade infrastructure to meet the increasing demand for bandwidth. In a letter to telecom secretary Neeraj Mittal, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said it is imperative that the Indian government takes critical note of the issue facing the telecom sector at this juncture and help create "an apt precedent for the world". The telecom industry body also said that substantial investments are required to be made by telcos for GPU (graphic processing unit)-based high-speed servers to support demand of AI-based applications as well as high definition video streaming by several apps that are also referred as larger traffic generators (LTGs). Large traffic generator apps include YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp, Netflix, etc. LTGs, it suggested, need to share their revenue with telcos for

WhatsApp for iOS now supports passkeys: What it is, how to set up, and more

passkeys allows users to authenticate using biometrics such as fingerprints or facial scans, instead of a conventional password

WhatsApp tests offline file sharing, in-app dialler features: Details here

WhatsApp has reportedly started testing offline file sharing features with beta testers. Though the early version of the app hints at in-app dialler, the feature is not currently available in beta

Namma Yatri drives into Bengaluru with zero commission cab service

Namma Yatri already has 25,000 cab drivers and aims to onboard over one lakh drivers in the next six months

Indians would prefer using super app to access digital services: Report

Single app would be 'strategic avenue' for companies to attract subscribers, it says

Bullet Echo India: BGMI maker Krafton launches new battle royale style game

Bullet Echo India mobile game features character skins inspired from Indian culture and Krafton's BGMI

WhatsApp tests 60-second video status feature in public beta: Details here

Currently, WhatsApp lets users post 30-second video status on their profiles. Instagram, however, allows users to post 60-second videos on stories

Post to the past: Instagram tests in beta backdated post scheduling feature

Currently available to select users, the post to the past feature on Instagram is accompanied by a calendar icon that suggests scheduling option for backdated posts

Google, Indian app developers 'agree to' pause billing dispute for 4 months

Sigh of relief for Indian startups after government intervened in dispute, says one CEO

Play Store delisting: Global behemoths endangering Make in India, says COAI

While targeting Indian companies, large traffic generators are refusing to pay fair share charges, says COAI

Google Play Store delisting hits Indian app developer business by 40%

The parties concerned have sought a meeting with the government on Monday to discuss the contentious issue, sources aware of the development said

Indus Appstore crosses 100,000 downloads in three days of its launch

The rapid adoption of the Indus Appstore, particularly as a side-loaded application, which requires users to download it directly from the Indus Appstore website

Fintech major PhonePe takes on Google, Apple with homegrown Indus Appstore

The Indus Appstore is PhonePe's attempt at creating a more competitive and localized mobile app store economy for India, which is already the world's largest market for mobile apps

Apple Music: Soon, you could transfer playlists from Spotify, Amazon Music

Apple is reportedly testing integration of "SongShift" service for importing playlists from other streaming platforms like Spotify and Amazon Music on Android

Indians spent 12.84 bn hours on shopping apps in 2023, next only to China

The time spent by shoppers on these apps in 2023 was far higher than in the US (2.8 billion hours), Brazil (3.020 billion hours), but it was less than that in China where it was 49.60 billion hours

Google to add more real-money game apps on Play, charge a service fee

The "expanded RMG support" will be launched in June for developers in India, Mexico, and Brazil, with plans to extend the service to more countries later

Indians downloaded 26 billion apps on mobile devices in 2023, shows data

Among app categories, gaming led the download numbers with 9.3 billion, followed by social (over 2.36 billion), and photo and video (1.86 billion)

Govt app to allow live tracking of cargo across land, rail, sea & air

Over 700 companies involved in courier, logistics, shipping, and manufacturing have already signed up on the app that will be launched soon by the government

Proposed US bill to charge large apps should be adopted in India: COAI

Telecom operators want the government to adopt a bill, similar to a proposal in the US Congress, that would make large internet apps contribute to infrastructure costs to help lower broadband costs for consumers, a senior industry official said. A bill sponsored by US Senators Markwayne Mullin, Mark Kelly and Mike Crapo in US Congress last month aimed at lowering broadband costs for consumers proposed a direction to telecom regulator Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to mandate social media platforms, streaming services apps, cloud computing service providers like WhatsApp, YouTube, Netflix, Google etc to contribute to universal fund that is used for building networks. The proposed bill named, Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act of 2023, has classified social media platforms, streaming service, over-the-top messaging service, video gaming service, videoconferencing service, e-commerce platform, search engines under edge services providers. Telecom industry body Cellular

Tata Group considers topping up another $1 billion for super-app arm

Deliberations are ongoing and details of Tata Group's capital injection into the venture could still change, the people said. A representative for Tata Group declined to comment