Google slashes the minimum price for Android apps in India

Google has cut the minimum price for which apps can be sold by a fifth. The price cut currently only affects India, and sees the cost plummet from 50 Rs (around $0.75) to just 10 Rs (around $0.15). It is a decision that has clearly been taken to both entice new customers to Android, as well as discouraging existing users from switching allegiances to Apple -- particularly with the launch of the iPhone 6s.

The lower price point was made available to developers at the end of July, but now Google is starting to promote apps and let users know that there are now many apps available for the reduced price. As well as applying to apps and games in Google Play, the 10 Rs minimum now also applies to in-app purchases.

The company says that: "We hope this lower price point makes it easier for people in India to get access to the apps and games they love at a great price". The blog post points to titles such as Fruit Ninja that can now be purchased for just 10 Rs, and the likes of Real Cricket and even Talking Tom for just 20 Rs.

While this is a move that would certainly be welcomed around the world, Google has not indicated that it has any plans to extend the price drop outside of India. With the price of handsets continuing to drop, the only natural place for further savings to come for customers was through a reduction in app costs. Just what this ultimately means for developers remains to be seen. Cutting prices to a fifth of what they were will attract more buyers -- but not necessarily five times as many.

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