Payment app Paytm has mysteriously disappeared from Google Play Store. The app, owned by One97 Communications Ltd, is not visible on being searched on Google Play Store whereas all the other apps including Paytm For Business, Paytm Money, Paytm Mall, and others owned by the company are still available on Play Store.
However, Paytm is available for download on the Apple App Store.
Google has apparently removed the Paytm app because it allegedly violates the company’s new rules around online gambling. According to reports, Google says in a statement: “We don’t allow online casinos (or) support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting. It includes if the app leads consumers to an external website that allows them to participate in paid tournaments to win real money (or) cash prizes,” Google said in a statement.
Paytm vanished from Google Play Store a few hours after Google’s Suzanne Frey, who is Vice President, Product, Android Security and Privacy, detailed the guidelines in a blog post. “We have these policies to protect users from potential harm. When an app violates these policies, we notify the developer of the violation and remove the app from Google Play until the developer brings the app into compliance.
And in the case where there are repeated policy violations, we may take more serious action which may include terminating Google Play Developer accounts. Our policies are applied and enforced on all developers consistently,” she wrote.
What this means is that Google has apparently removed Paytm from the Play store because it believed the app was violating its new guidelines on online gambling or contests.
Reports have claimed that Google had notified the developers of Paytm about the removal and it continues to be in touch with Paytm to get the app back on Play Store. India Today Tech has asked Paytm for a comment and the story will be updated when we receive it.
Paytm is owned by an Indian company called One97 Communications Ltd, which was founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma but the company had received massive funding from fintech firm Ant Financials, which is an ally of China’s Alibaba group.
Source: India Today
