The Indian app market is experiencing rapid growth and continues to solidify its position as a major global player. For instance, in 2023, Indian developers have introduced over 44,600 new mobile apps and games, with more than 960 leveraging cutting-edge AI technology.[1]
As a trusted champion and facilitator of this booming ecosystem, Google Play has not only supported developers in internationalizing their mobile applications but also enriched the lives of digital consumers by providing safety and choice.
Innovation at the forefront
India’s app economy is thriving, fueled by the nation’s Digital Public Infrastructure and a new generation of tech-savvy developers. Apps like Urban Company and Meesho are not simply meeting digital needs, but are setting new benchmarks for innovation and functionality in home services and social commerce, even globally.
Other local app and game developers are also thriving globally. Born from a desire to address the lack of accessible resources for learning tech skills, Programming Hub has evolved into a leading platform offering bite-sized, engaging content across 5,000+ programs and 150+ courses in 100+ programming languages. Leveraging Google AI Studio to enhance the learning experience with an AI assistant, they’ve empowered over 10 million coding learners on Google Play, all in pursuit of their mission to reach 3 billion tech learners worldwide.
Google Play’s role in driving growth
Modern app distribution platforms like Google Play have become important tools for developers. They provide not only easy promotional avenues but also instant access to over 2.5 billion Android users.
But Google Play offers developers more than simple exposure, providing a range of tools and resources to support them throughout their app development journey. These resources include beta testing, performance customization, app store listing optimization, and data analytics through developer tools, all aimed at helping developers grow their apps.
Beyond these cutting-edge tools, Google has introduced AI-powered tools like Gemma and Gemini in Android Studio to assist developers in bringing their ideas to life and building successful businesses.
Benefits reaped from Google Play
India is a large app innovation hub, boasting the second-largest developer community on Google Play.[2] This dynamic community is a significant economic force, supporting an estimated 3.1 million direct, indirect and spillover jobs in 2023.[3]
Indian developers are not just catering to the domestic market. More than six in ten developers have international users forming more than 10% of their user base, with Indonesia and the US being key markets.[4] This showcases Indian developers’ ability to capture the preferences of users from some of the biggest markets.
App developers in India have earned an estimated INR 4,300 crore through Google Play[5] in 2023, of which 84% (INR 3,600 crore)[6] comes from markets outside India. The vibrant landscape of India’s mobile application ecosystem has enabled developers to capture around 8% of worldwide app downloads through Google Play in 2023.[7]
Google’s continuous support to India’s developers
Google’s commitment to the developer community goes beyond providing a platform.
To ensure compatibility across devices, Google provides free access to Android’s source code and compatibility standards. This allows developers to focus on innovation, not compatibility issues. The company also publishes a set of baseline compatibility standards to help device manufacturers that want to ensure their products can work within the Android ecosystem.
Google Play’s business model also ensures that the platform continues to invest in supporting developers. While a service fee applies to developers who charge for their apps or offer in-app purchases, a vast majority (97%) of developers distribute their apps for free and utilize all of Google Play’s developer tools and services at no cost.
Providing choice and enhancing safety for consumers
In addition to enabling developers, Google also commits to enriching the digital lives of consumers while at the same time, ensuring consumer safety. This is done through our investment in Google Play Store policy updates, advanced machine learning and app review process, as well as new and improved security features, like Google Play Protect, which screens 200 billion apps daily to help keep more than 3 billion users safe from malware. Android’s safety features also extend to the physical world, with 99% of Android devices equipped with an emergency location service.
These initiatives are essential in ensuring user safety amid data privacy concerns in the country, effectively supporting higher levels of application usage and revenues.
A brighter future ahead
The success stories of e-commerce, and online travel applications and countless other developers demonstrate just the beginning of India’s prominence on the global stage. However, India’s journey is far from over. With continued support for its burgeoning developer ecosystem and a focus on translating user engagement into revenue, India is poised to not only maintain its leadership in app innovation but to ascend to new heights.
Important information:
This post has been prepared by Access Partnership for Google. All information in this post is derived or estimated by Access Partnership analysis using both non-Google proprietary and publicly available information. Google has not supplied any additional data, nor does it endorse any estimates made in this post. Where information has been obtained from third-party sources and proprietary research or from Access Partnership’s own modelling, this is clearly referenced in the hyperlinks and footnotes.
[1] Access Partnership estimates
[2] Access Partnership estimates
[3] Access Partnership estimates
[4] Access Partnership estimates
[5] Access Partnership estimates
[6] Access Partnership estimates
[7] Access Partnership estimates
