The Indus Appstore has achieved a major milestone by garnering over 100,000 downloads within three days of its launch, highlighting strong consumer demand for a localized Play Store alternative.
It was launched by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Communications, and Electronics & IT, on February 21st in New Delhi. The Indus Appstore is an ambitious initiative by the digital payments platform PhonePe to offer Indian users an app store tailored to the local market.
The record-breaking downloads, especially considering Indus Appstore must currently be sideloaded outside of the Play Store, says a lot about the initial enthusiasm of users for a new homegrown app marketplace.
Positive early feedback has praised Indus Appstore's zero commission model for developers, support for 12 regional languages, and video-led discovery features - indicating these aspects closely meet the needs of Indian consumers compared to existing stores.
"Reaching over a lakh downloads in just three days confirms that India is ready for a homegrown app store that prioritises the needs of its diverse users and fosters a vibrant developer community. This is only the beginning; we're committed to continuously evolving Indus Appstore to make it the go-to destination for apps in India," said Akash Dongre, Chief Product Officer and Co-founder of Indus Appstore.
