PhonePe has launched its rebranded app marketplace PhonePe Appstore in India’s fast growing digital space. The company renamed its homegrown Android application marketplace (Indus Appstore) on October 28, 2026 officially.
It said with this move PhonePe is expanding beyond digital payments and app distribution to create a unified marketplace where users can discover applications, download games, buy gift cards and access digital services.
“We bring the strength of the PhonePe brand to an application marketplace that has already built significant presence across the country,” it added.
PhonePe Appstore is now available on more than 200 million devices across India (the company says it has partnered with OEMs to get this far). This means smartphone users can access the marketplace from more devices.
The marketplace has been adopted in several Indian states Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana are its top five markets. This growth speaks to the demand for alternative app distribution platforms in India ones that cater to the country’s diverse digital audience.
PhonePe Appstore has a growing number of mobile apps and games across categories. Some popular applications on the platform are ChatGPT, Duolingo, ShareChat and Sony LIV while gamers can also check out titles like Honor of Kings and Hitwicket.
Social, action and simulation games are top categories attracting users to marketplace.
PhonePe wants to make digital discovery more convenient for Indian consumers by bringing different types of applications & entertainment options under one roof.
But this isn’t just about renaming an existing application marketplace. PhonePe is expanding the platform’s business model by introducing digital products and services too users will be able to find applications and games as well as gift cards and digital top-ups with attractive offers across gaming, technology and entertainment categories.
It will use its existing digital payment infrastructure to make buying those products easier and more convenient (PhonePe Appstore could become a destination for digital purchases rather than an alternative to normal app stores).
One of the major changes that comes with rebranding is the webstore. PhonePe has launched phonepeappstore.com where consumers can browse and buy digital products through desktops and mobile browsers.
The big advantage here is that you don’t need to download a separate app for it consumers may be attracted by browser-based experience as they prefer buying digital products directly from websites rather than downloading an application on their smartphones.
Another feature in the pipeline is digital top-ups. PhonePe wants instant purchases of in-game currencies (coins and skins), dating app boosts and technology top-ups as well. Gaming related top-ups will be first introduced.
This could add another layer of convenience for mobile gamers who buy virtual currencies and other items regularly. By putting these services into its marketplace PhonePe wants to grab more share of India’s growing digital entertainment and gaming market.
The rebranding will also open up new opportunities for application developers. PhonePe Appstore wants to give developers an alternative way of distributing their apps, reach new audiences and explore additional monetisation options developers can tap into the platform’s wider ecosystem (integrated payments, advertising opportunities and business insights) which could help promote their applications, understand user engagement and earn through different channels.
Priya Narasimhan, Chief Business Officer at PhonePe Appstore said that the rebranding “is a big milestone because it brings together trust and reach of the PhonePe brand with new opportunities for developers to earn through advertisements, gift cards and top-ups”.
The move also comes at a time when competition in India’s mobile application distribution market is getting a lot of attention. Google’s Play Store is still the biggest destination for Android application downloads but PhonePe is trying to build a stronger alternative through localisation, developer-friendly services and an expanding digital marketplace.
When Indus Appstore was launched by PhonePe in February 2024 it aimed to give Indian consumers localised experience of application discovery. It supported English and 12 Indian languages so that users could discover applications in languages they are more comfortable with.
The platform also wanted to give developers another channel of distribution in India’s competitive smartphone market.
With the move from Indus Appstore to PhonePe Appstore, the company seems to have much bigger ambitions. It doesn’t want to just be about applications being downloaded; it wants to connect consumers with different digital products and services at one destination (its network, brand recognition and payments capability may give it an edge as it moves into this segment).
But the platform will need to earn user trust, provide a smooth experience and attract more developers and digital service providers if it is to compete with incumbents.
Overall, PhonePe’s rebranding of Indus Appstore as PhonePe Appstore is an important step in the company’s expansion beyond digital payments. More than 20 crore devices, a growing collection of applications and games, gift cards, upcoming digital top-ups and a webstore all point to it being positioned as a broader digital marketplace for Indian consumers.
Whether it can become a serious challenger to established app distribution platforms depends on whether it can attract users, developers and digital businesses in coming years.
Comments