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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Xiaomi and PhonePe announced a multi-year India partnership on March 13, 2025: new Xiaomi smartphones sold in India are to include PhonePe’s Indus Appstore, while the companies said it would replace Xiaomi’s GetApps marketplace on existing devices. Google Play is not being replaced; reporting at the time said it would remain preinstalled. The change adds another app store, rather than making Indus the only way to install apps.
What the Xiaomi–PhonePe agreement changes
The agreement is an OEM distribution partnership, not a merger and not a move away from Android. PhonePe’s marketplace is to be preinstalled on new Xiaomi smartphones in India, and GetApps is to be replaced on existing devices, according to the companies’ announcement.
“Preinstalled” describes how the store reaches a device. It does not mean users must use it, that it is the only marketplace, or that Google Play is being removed. TechCrunch reported that Google Play was expected to remain preinstalled on Xiaomi phones: TechCrunch’s March 13, 2025 report.
Is Google Play Store being removed?
No. The deal concerns Xiaomi’s own GetApps marketplace, not Google Play. Indus Appstore is an additional Android app marketplace; the available reporting says Google Play remains preinstalled. The announcement does not establish that users must install apps through Indus or stop using other permitted installation methods.
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What happens to GetApps?
At the user-facing level, the companies said Indus Appstore would replace GetApps on existing devices. An earlier TechCrunch report said Xiaomi planned to deliver the change through an update and that the GetApps team would continue installation and support services under the name “Indus Services App” (November 18, 2024 report).
That reporting suggests the storefront and some Xiaomi support functions may be distinct. Public materials do not document the full software architecture, package names, permissions, or whether every GetApps feature works identically after the transition. A marketplace’s presence should not be taken as proof that Xiaomi’s system-app installation or update functions have all disappeared.
Which phones are affected?
The announced scope is Xiaomi smartphones sold in India. Gadgets 360 reported that the change also covers Redmi and Poco devices (Gadgets 360’s coverage). It is not a worldwide change for every phone made by those brands.
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The companies did not publish a complete model-by-model list, a universal rollout date for existing phones, or a required MIUI or HyperOS version. A particular device’s behavior can therefore depend on its model, India-market software build, region settings, and update history. The announcement is not a guarantee that every already-sold phone received the same update or that every retail unit immediately shipped with the new store.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhat Indus Appstore offers
Indus Appstore is PhonePe’s Android marketplace, publicly launched in February 2024. In its March 2025 announcement, PhonePe described a catalog of more than 500,000 apps and games across 45 categories, app discovery in English and 12 Indian languages, voice search in 10 Indian languages, and video-led discovery. It also promoted regional recommendations and a sign-in option that can work without an email address. These are company-described features and a dated catalog count, not permanent specifications; the catalog can change.
The company positions the service as a localized discovery channel for Indian consumers and a distribution option for developers. Indus’s press page describes its product and announcements. “Made for India” or “homegrown” describes positioning; it does not mean the marketplace is government-operated or officially endorsed by the government.
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- MEMORIES MADE PICTURE PERFECT: Capture every angle in stunning clarity, from wide family photos to close-ups of friends, with the triple-lens camera on Galaxy A17 5G.
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What Xiaomi phone owners should expect
For a user, the practical change is another store icon and another possible source for apps. You can continue to use Google Play where it is available on your device. Before installing the same app from more than one store, consider which store will supply its updates: versions and update timing can differ, and parallel installations may create confusion.
- Check the publisher, permissions, and privacy disclosures for an app regardless of which store lists it.
- Keep your device’s security features, including Google Play Protect where available, enabled.
- If a software update changes or adds a marketplace unexpectedly, check the device’s update information and the app’s publisher before removing system components or sideloading another copy.
- Do not assume an app can be disabled, hidden, or uninstalled on every model. The partnership announcement does not specify removal options, and those can vary by device and software version.
Why PhonePe wants Xiaomi preinstallation
For an alternative app store, distribution is a central challenge: Android users already know and have access to Google Play, so persuading them to seek out another store takes effort. Xiaomi’s India device base offers Indus a route to reach users without requiring each one to find and download the marketplace first. That could also give developers a broader route to discovery. This is the business logic implied by the distribution deal, not a disclosed user-acquisition target or financial term.
The companies framed the partnership around localized discovery, access for Indian developers, and a broader app ecosystem. They did not disclose payments between the companies, a revenue share for Xiaomi, or other financial terms.
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What Android developers should weigh
A second storefront may add reach, particularly if a developer’s audience uses Xiaomi-family phones in India. Indus promotes regional-language storefront capabilities, developer publishing and analytics tools, support for third-party payment gateways, and zero commission on in-app payments in its materials. Developers should check the live terms rather than assume those policies are unchanged; the Indus developer portal is the place to review current publishing information.
Listing on another store does not guarantee downloads or revenue. Before adding a channel, developers should assess whether the audience is incremental, whether they can maintain another listing and update process, how the store’s analytics meet their needs, and whether their billing design fits its current policies. Regional-language descriptions and screenshots may help users discover an app, but the effect depends on the app and audience.
What the later device milestone does—and does not—show
On September 15, 2025, Indus Appstore said it was present on 10 crore devices, or 100 million devices (Indus’s announcement). That is a company-reported device-reach figure. It is not equivalent to 100 million monthly active users, downloads, unique people, or a particular level of developer revenue. Indus also reported that 40% of users navigated in a regional language and that 70.6% were from Tier 3 regions; those, too, are company-reported figures rather than independently established usage measures.
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Indus has described partnerships beyond Xiaomi, including with Lava and, later, Motorola and Alcatel, in its press archive. The Xiaomi deal is therefore part of a wider OEM distribution approach, though the device milestone alone does not show how actively people use the store.
What remains unspecified
- A complete list of covered Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco models, and the exact software versions required.
- When or whether every existing India-market device receives a GetApps replacement update.
- Whether Indus can be disabled, hidden, or removed on each model.
- The detailed relationship between Indus Appstore and Xiaomi’s continuing system-app support functions.
- The partnership’s financial terms and any effect on Google Play usage.
For a buyer, confirm the software on the specific India-market model rather than assuming all phones from the same brand behave alike. Xiaomi’s India storefront is at mi.com/in, but the partnership announcement does not provide a model-by-model store compatibility list.
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