Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi announced that its Android smartphones sold in India will come preinstalled with Indian fintech company PhonePe’s app store.
Xiaomi’s Android smartphones typically come with Google’s Play Store and the company’s own GetApps preinstalled. The company announced it has entered into a multi-year agreement with PhonePe to replace GetApps with the Indus Appstore. This confirms earlier reports about the partnership from last year.
Google’s Play Store will still come preinstalled on Xiaomi’s devices. The companies did not specify if the Indus Appstore would also be rolled out to existing Xiaomi devices that have already been sold or are currently available to buy at retailers. They also did not mention when this will come into effect.
PhonePe’s Strategy to Expand Indus Appstore in India
PhonePe has been trying to take on the likes of Google for a share of the Indian app market, promising to charge zero fees from developers for in-app purchases. Indus Appstore supports 12 Indian languages, features a video-led discovery feed, and has more than 500,000 apps across different categories.
However, alternative app stores have found it difficult to scale because it takes time to establish trust with users and convince users to install yet another app store. PhonePe is trying to get over at least one of those hurdles by having its app store preinstalled on new smartphones. The fintech has so far not published any numbers to indicate how many downloads and how much money its app store is generating for developers.
Xiaomi’s Focus on Local Innovations Through Partnership
“As India’s digital ecosystem continues to grow, the demand for a locally driven app marketplace has never been more critical. At Xiaomi India, we have always championed ‘Make for India’ innovations, and this partnership with Indus Appstore is a strategic step in that direction,” Xiaomi India’s COO, Sudhin Mathur, said in a statement.
