Apple decides not to remove betting apps from the Indian App Store

The Indian government has ordered both Apple and Google to remove betting apps from their respective app stores. While Google has already taken action against such apps in the country, Apple remains firm and wants more reasons to remove such apps. According to a report by ET, Apple wants a legal basis to comply with Indian government regulations.

It seems that the company is not completely opposed to the idea of removing these apps, but is looking for a concrete reason to do so. The report claims that Apple has made it clear that it cannot arbitrarily remove apps to make them unavailable to Apple users in the country.

Apple points out that betting apps work without restrictions in other markets and it would generally be difficult for the company to make country-specific changes to the App Store, such as those introduced by the Indian government. Having said that, Apple was asked to do it somehow, the report adds.

Earlier this year, more than 130 betting apps such as Betway, BetNix, Bet Analytix and others were banned in the country after MeitY issued an order to prevent these companies from operating here.

Google was quick to comply with the request, while Apple believes that the request itself does not cite a compelling reason to remove it from the App Store. An order issued by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Commerce stated that these apps violate Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which refers to any threat to the sovereignty and integrity of the state.

The report also states that Apple has since ordered MeitY to remove Betway from the App Store for Indian users, but does not want to act hastily on any app that may be at fault or violate its App Store policies in the country. It will be interesting to see how Apple plans to work on other apps and if it finally follows the order to decide to stand still.