New Delhi, 5 March

Google on Tuesday began reinstating about 250 Indian apps it had delisted from its Play Store over a billing dispute as it caved in to government criticism, but the squabble may not yet be over.

The matrimony, dating and other apps were being allowed back on the Play Store but Google will continue to bill the companies a service fee of 11 per cent to 26 per cent on in-app payments during the 3-4 months period the two sides will sit across to resolve the dispute.

Telecom and Information & Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who got Google and the startups to the negotiating table, said the US tech giant has been supporting India's technology development journey. "Google and the startup community have met with us, (and) we have had very constructive discussions...Google has agreed to list all the apps," he said.

In a brief statement, Google said, "in the spirit of cooperation, we are temporarily reinstating the apps of the developers with appeals pending in the Supreme Court." "We will invoice our full applicable services fees in the interim and are extending payment timelines for these companies. We look forward to a collaborative effort to find solutions that respect the needs of all parties," the tech giant said.

App developers said that the battle hasn't yet been won as they still have to find a sustainable long-term solution. Google on Friday removed from its Play Store apps from a dozen of developers, including popular ones by Matrimony.com and job search app Naukri, for non-compliance with its in-app payment guidelines.

As the government took strong exception to the removal, calling it unacceptable, Google beginning Saturday restored some apps that agreed to comply with its guideline to pay the fee on in-app payments or do financial transactions outside of the app.

Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Information and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar held multiple rounds of discussions with Google and the app owners on Monday in a bid to find a solution to the crisis that was being labelled as a dark day for the internet by some.

On Tuesday, Vaishnaw announced that Google has agreed to restore the status of Friday morning i.e. pre-delisting. "We believe Google and the startup community will be able to come to a long-term solution in coming months," he said, indicating the two sides will now sit down and thrash out the issue of levy of service charge.