According to Apple’s annual “2022 App Store Transparency Report,” India accounted for the second highest number of app takedowns from the company’s App Store in 2022. The Indian government issued 14 app takedown requests to Apple for violating local norms.
Globally, Apple removed 1,474 apps from its app marketplace based on orders from various governments. China topped the list with 1,435 app removals.
Apple stated that apps may be removed from the App Store for several reasons, including violations of local laws, repeated violations of App Store policies, fraud, and regulatory demands.
India also lodged 709 appeals against app removals by Apple in 2022. As a result, Apple restored 24 apps in response to the appeals. Overall, India ranked fourth in terms of the number of app appeals and restorations last year.
Apple mentioned in its report that it reviewed every app on the App Store to ensure compliance with community guidelines, privacy, security, and content standards. In 2022, the app marketplace hosted a total of 1.78 million apps globally and reviewed 6.1 million app submissions.
During the year, Apple terminated 282 million customer accounts and had 36.9 million developers registered with the App Store.
While Google’s Play Store dominates the app marketplace segment in India, Apple caters to a niche segment of high-end users.
Although 14 app takedown requests may seem small, the growing number of requests from the Indian government could be a result of various reforms implemented last year, including efforts by the central government to block digital lending apps with links to China.
Despite the challenges, the App Store remains an attractive platform for Apple as app usage and downloads in India continue to surge. Indian users downloaded over 28 billion apps on their smartphones in 2022, ranking second only to China in terms of overall app downloads.
As app usage rises, Indian authorities have intensified their efforts to address alleged anti-competitive practices by foreign tech giants. There have been reports of Indian authorities considering new norms to screen major operating system updates by original equipment manufacturers, including Apple. Additionally, the government has been exploring rules that would allow users to remove pre-installed apps on their smartphones.
Nevertheless, Apple continues to expand its presence in India. The company recently introduced Unified Payments Interface (UPI) Autopay as a new payment option for subscription purchases on the Indian App Store. CEO Tim Cook also visited India for the launch of Apple Stores in Mumbai and Delhi, expressing his optimism about the Indian market and leading efforts to increase iPhone production in the country.
