Google wants local developers to build apps optimised for India

Google India on Tuesday announced a 'Made in India' initiative where the company wants Indian developers to build apps that are specifically optimised for the country, showcased on Google Play Store in a special section.

"At Google Play, we are committed to helping Indian developers of all sizes seize this opportunity and build successful, locally relevant businesses," said Purnima Kochikar, Director, Business Development, Games and Applications at Google Play.

Speaking at Google India's first-ever 'App Excellence Summit' here, she said: "We support developers' imaginations and make Android consumers aware of the new experiences our developers are creating".

According to Google India, the majority of internet users in the country are going online primarily via smartphones.

There are now more people using Android devices in India than in the US. People in India also install more than a billion apps every month from Google Play.

"These numbers might seem staggering already but the number of apps installed in India has grown by 150 per cent each year," Google India said in a statement.

Indian consumer spend on apps and games is accelerating at a rapid pace as well, tripling in just the past year alone, it added.

The summit, that brought together over 700 Indian app and games developers, showcased Google Play success stories from several local developers.