Walmart-owned PhonePe officially launched the Indus Appstore on February 21 and it is available to download and install in smartphones. It is a new Made in India app store for Android devices intended to rival Google Play Store in India, the second-largest smartphone market globally.
The Indus Appstore aims to tap into India's growing app economy, where app usage skyrocketed to 1.19 trillion hours in 2023, up from 954 billion hours in 2021. India also stands as the world's largest market for app downloads. The launch coincides with a dispute between Google and some of India's prominent startups and internet firms over Play Store policies and commission fees. To reach to a broader Indian audience, the Made in India Indus Appstore introduces a mobile number-based login system for users without email accounts. For developers, the platform enables app listings in 12 Indian languages, as well as media and video uploads in these languages. Here are the steps on how to download and install Indus Appstore in your device.
How to download and Install Indus AppStore
Indus Appstore is now on the official website of PhonePe and Indus Appstore. People can download Indus Appstore and install the 26.09 MB sized APK file on their phones. To start the installation of the APK file, users need to allow the installation of apps from unknown sources. Here are the steps to download it from the website.
Step 1: Go the the Indus Appstore website and there you'll see a pop up to download IndusAppstore_Alpha1.apk file. Tap 'Download anyway' to save the file in your smartphone.
How to Login to Indus AppStore
The developers are making it easy for people without email accounts to use it by letting them log in with their Indian mobile numbers.
How many Apps are there on Indus AppStore?
PhonePe, the company behind Indus Appstore, says that they have added 2 lakh mobile apps and games across 45 categories related to education apps, health apps, fitness apps, news apps and many more to make it more interesting.
Is Indus AppStore free to use?
The good thing about the Indus Appstore is that it doesn't charge any fees when you buy things inside apps. This is different from Google Play Store and Apple App Store, which usually take 15-30 percent of the money.