DEVELOPER POLICY – INDUS APPSTORE

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Purpose of the Developer Policy: This Developer Policy – Indus Appstore (“Policy”) (as a part of the Indus Developer Policies) outlines the guidelines, rules, and expectations that Developers must adhere to with respect to the listing of Product(s) to the ‘Indus Appstore’ that is owned and operated by Indus Appstore Private Limited (“Indus”/ “We”), incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, having its registered office at Office-2, Floor 4,5,6,7, Wing A, Block A, Salarpuria Softzone, Service Road, Green Glen Layout, Bellandur, Bengaluru Karnataka 560103 India. This Policy aims to ensure a safe, compliant, consistent, and user-friendly experience for all Users of the Indus Appstore.

1.2. Scope: This Policy applies to all Developers and their Product(s) (including, but not limited to their mobile applications) that are available on the Indus Appstore. Services (such as running marketing/Ad campaigns on the Indus Appstore), Indus may require You to agree to additional terms and conditions.

  1. DEFINITIONS

1.1. “Applicable Laws” shall mean any law, statute, rule, regulation, order, circular, decree, directive, judgment, decision or other similar mandate of any applicable central, national, state or local governmental authority in India.

1.2. “Developer” (also referred to as “You”/ “Your”/ “Yourself”) means any person (individual or entity) who avails Indus Developer Services as per the Terms.

1.3. “Device(s)” means any android based device including, but not limited to, a mobile phone, tablet or any other device (as may be enabled by Indus from time to time) on which a User can access the Indus Appstore.

1.4. “End User” shall mean an individual who has accessed/installed the Developer’s mobile application via the Indus Appstore; and has been successfully onboarded/registered on to or has been given access to such mobile application as a user.

1.5. “Indus Appstore” means a mobile application owned and operated by Indus under the brand name ‘Indus Appstore’ which enables its Users to search, access and download mobile applications distributed by various mobile application developers.

1.6. “Indus Developer Services” shall mean the software and services, including the Developer Platform, which allows Developer(s) to distribute Products to Users on the Devices and such other promotional/marketing services on additional terms and conditions as may be agreed between the parties.

1.7. “Intellectual Property Right” means all intellectual property rights, whether existing under the statute or at common law or equity, now or thereafter in force, including any patent, design, copyright, database, publicity rights, trademark or trade name (whether registered or not), and any pending applications relating to the foregoing, website address, trade secrets, know-how, data, processes and all other intellectual property rights.

1.8. “Product(s)” shall mean any software, content (including but not limited to digital content, audio, video or images) and/or a mobile application(s) (including its .apk file) made available by a Developer via the Developer Platform in order to avail Indus Developer Services.

1.9. “Terms” refer to the Indus Appstore Developer Terms & Conditions which govern the terms and conditions for availing of the Indus Developer Services by the Developer.

1.10. “User” shall mean an individual who uses the Indus Appstore via Device(s).

  1. GENERAL GUIDELINES

2.1. App Content and Functionality Indus Appstore’s objective is to provide a positive experience for its Users and Developers. We strive to ensure that the process of making your products available to Users is seamless. Before You submit Your mobile Application (“App”), You must:

  1. Ensure that all App information and metadata is accurate;
  2. Ensure that Your contact information is up to date; and
  3. Fulfil all requirements that are required to review the functionality of Your App.

You should make sure that Your App complies with Indus Developer Policies and all Applicable Laws.

2.2. Metadata Your App title, icon, Developer name and the description of the App should be clear. As a policy, we would not be able to list any App that lacks proper description or has inappropriate metadata (which includes description, developer name, title, icon and images). End User reviews should not form a part of the metadata. Indus may review your metadata and request you to modify the same if the same is unclear/misleading. Indus Appstore may require you to provide additional metadata information.

ILLUSTRATIONS – For reference only – A few examples of inappropriate text, images, or videos within Your Product(s):

  1. Using vulgar language or language that is not appropriate for the target audience of Your App.
  2. Depictions of the illicit usage of narcotics.
  3. Imagery or videos with sexually suggestive content.

A few good practices that may be adopted by You while providing the metadata are provided below:

  1. List down the positives about Your App and any benefits that an End
  2. User may derive from its usage.
  3. Ensure that Your App’s title and description are accurate.
  4. Keep Your App’s description short and straightforward.
  5. Ensure that Your listing does not contain any inappropriate content (which is not suitable for a general audience).

2.3. Target Users and Content Rating Prior to listing of Your App, You would be required to provide the ‘target group’ of Users and associated content rating for your App on the Developer Platform by such means as may be enabled by Indus via the Developer Platform. Indus Appstore may also conduct its own review of the App information that You provide to determine whether the target group that You indicate is accurate. You can always update Your App’s information on the Developer Platform.

In case you misrepresent Your App’s content, it may result in removal or suspension of the App from the Indus Appstore. If You make changes to Your App content or features that may impact the target group of users/content rating, You must inform Indus with respect to the same.

In case, the content on the App is updated such that the content is rendered unsuitable for the target group that has been provided on the Developer Platform or the target group is broadened, You shall immediately update the associated metadata and other requirements on the Developer Platform. Further, You shall inform the End User(s) that the target group has been updated and obtain relevant consent from the End User(s) in this regard.

ILLUSTRATION (for reference only):

If an App is listed on the Indus Appstore as suitable for Children (3+), however, the content is updated by You to include adult content onto the App which makes the rating/target group as 18+, You shall update the same on the Developer Platform and obtain appropriate consent from the End User(s) before any such content is made available/displayed.

2.4. Protection of Children Apps that do not prohibit Users from creating, uploading, or distributing content that facilitates the exploitation or abuse of children will be subject to immediate removal from the Indus Appstore. To report an App on the Indus Appstore that may exploit a child, you can contact our support team via the support section on the Developer Platform.

We prohibit the use of Apps that intend to harm children. This includes, but is not limited to, Apps which promote predatory behaviour towards children, inappropriate interaction targeted at a child, sexualization of a minor, sextortion, trafficking of a child. We will take appropriate action, which may include delisting the App and/or reporting it to the relevant law enforcement agencies.

In addition, Apps that have the target group as children but contain adult themes are not allowed. A few ILLUSTRATIONS are provided below (for reference only):

  1. Apps with excessive violence, blood, and gore.
  2. Apps that depict or encourage harmful and dangerous activities.

Indus Appstore does not allow Apps that promote negative body or self-image including Apps that depict for entertainment purposes – plastic surgery, weight loss, and other cosmetic adjustments to a person’s physical appearance.

2.5. Social Media Apps: A social media App is an App where the main intent of the App is to enable End Users to share content or communicate (not necessarily in a formal manner or in a particular format).

All social media Apps that include children in their target group must provide an in-App reminder to be safe online and to be aware of the real-world risk of online interaction before allowing child End Users to exchange media or information. You must also require adult action before allowing child End Users to exchange personal information. Adult action means a mechanism to verify that the End User is not a child and does not encourage children to falsify their age to gain access to areas of Your App that are designed for adults (which may include, but not be limited to, PIN, password, birthdate, email verification). Social media Apps where the main focus of the App is to chat with strangers shall not target children.

ILLUSTRATION (for reference only) includes – dating Apps, open chat rooms, Apps that promote themselves as an App suitable for children in their store-listing but the App content is only appropriate for adults, Apps that glamorize the use of alcohol, tobacco or narcotics, Apps that show ads inappropriate for children.

2.6. Privacy and Data Security: Developers must follow best practices for data collection, usage, and storage, and must clearly communicate privacy policies to End Users as per Applicable Laws.

2.7. Intellectual Property: We don’t allow Apps or Developer accounts that (a) infringe the Intellectual Property Rights of others; and/or (b) sell or promote the sale of goods that contains a trademark or logo that is identical to or substantially indistinguishable from the trademark of another.

We don’t allow Apps that encourage or induce infringement of Intellectual Property Rights in any manner.

ILLUSTRATION (for reference only): Streaming Apps that allow End Users to download a copy of the content on the End User’s device without authorization from the copyright owner.

2.7.1. Copyright Infringement We don’t allow Apps that infringe copyright. Developers may be required to provide evidence of their rights to use copyrighted content.

ILLUSTRATIONS (for reference only) wherein content is used without an authorization/license from the copyright owner such as images from movies, television, or video games, artwork or images, logos of other various brands, pictures taken from a social media account.

2.7.2. Trademark Infringement We don’t allow Apps that infringe on others’ trademarks. Trademark infringement includes improper or unauthorized use of an identical or similar trademark in a way that is likely to cause confusion as to the source of that product. If Your App infringes another party’s trademarks, We may suspend/remove Your App.

If You have written documentation proving that you have requisite permission/licenses to use third party’s Intellectual Property Rights in Your App or store listing (such as brand names, logos), contact Indus Appstore in advance of Your submission as the App may be reviewed from an infringement perspective and this will ensure that Your App is not rejected for such a violation.

2.8. Compliance with Applicable Laws: Developers should ensure that their Apps are compliant with all Applicable Laws, at all times. We don’t allow Apps that facilitate or promote illegal activities. Illustrations are provided below (for reference only).

  1. Facilitating the sale or purchase of narcotics.
  2. Depicting or encouraging the use or sale of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco by minors.
  3. Tutorials for growing or manufacturing narcotics.

2.9. Deceptive and Misleading Apps: You should ensure that Your App does not attempt to deceive the End Users or mimic functionality or warnings from the operating system or other Apps. While additional App resources (for example, game assets) may be downloaded, please ensure that they are necessary for the End Users’ use of the App. Further, please ensure that the downloaded resources are also compliant with all Indus Developer Policies, and before beginning the download, please ensure to prompt the End Users and clearly disclose the download size.

Any changes to device settings must be made with the End User’s knowledge and consent; and the same shall be reversible by the End User.

You should ensure that Your App does not contain false or misleading information or claims, including in the description, title, icon, and screenshots. Similarly, You should ensure that Your App does not assist the End Users in misleading others or is not functionally deceptive in any way, including, but not limited to generating or facilitating the generation of fake ID cards, passports, diplomas, credit cards, bank accounts, and drivers’ licenses.

You should ensure that Your App does not promote or perpetuate demonstrably misleading or deceptive imagery, videos and/or text, pertaining to a sensitive event, politics, social issues, or other matters of public concern. Apps that manipulate or alter media, beyond conventional and editorially acceptable adjustments for clarity or quality, must prominently disclose or watermark altered media when it may not be clear to the average person that the media has been altered. There may be exceptions such as content for public interest or satire or parody.

2.10. Misrepresentation: You should ensure that your App does not conceal or misrepresent Developer or App identity or other material details. For ILLUSTRATIVE purposes, please ensure that your App does not mislead the End Users by impersonating someone else (for example, another developer, company, entity) or another App.

A few ILLUSTRATIONS of Apps which may not be allowed are provided below (for reference only):

  1. Any App that falsely claims to be the official App of an established entity. Titles like “Shahrukh Khan Official” are not allowed without the necessary permissions or rights.
  2. Any App that depicts or displays unverified or real-world phone numbers, contacts, addresses, or personally identifiable information of non-consenting individuals or entities.
  3. Any App that adds a public figure to a demonstration during a politically sensitive event.
  4. Any App or Developer Account that misrepresents or conceals its country of origin and directs content at End Users in another country.
  5. Any App that pretends to be another App with the intention of deceiving the End Users into performing actions that the End User intended for the original trusted App.

2.11. End User Reviews and Ratings Reviews and ratings are benchmarks of App quality. End Users would consider them to be authentic and relevant. Accordingly, please ensure that You do not manipulate the listing of any Apps on Indus Appstore. A few illustrations (for reference only) are increasing product ratings, reviews, or install counts by illegitimate means, such as fraudulent or incentivized reviews and ratings.

Here are some best practices when responding to End User reviews:

  1. The reply should address the issues raised in the comment.
  2. You may include references to resources which would help the End User (such as FAQ page).

2.12. Augmented Reality (AR): If Your App uses AR, You must include a safety warning immediately upon launch of the AR section. The warning should contain the following:

  1. An appropriate message that highlights the importance of adult supervision.
  2. A reminder to be aware of physical surroundings while using AR.

Further, Your App must not require the usage of a device that is advised not to be used by children.

2.13. Sanctions and Internal Policies You shall not (a) belong to a country/jurisdiction which falls within any of the sanctioned countries; and (b) fall within any list of sanctioned entities/individuals (as the case may be), as may be listed by relevant governments/international bodies and/or other authorities. In addition to the above requirements, there may be additional policies that You may be required to comply with. Such additional policies shall be as shared with You via the Developer Platform and/or email.

  1. DEVELOPER ONBOARDING & VERIFICATION

3.1. General Verification: As a part of the general verification, You shall be required to provide certain documents and information in order to verify Your identity and genuineness. The documents and information related requirements shall be as provided via the Developer Platform. An indicative list of the requirements is provided below:

  1. Mobile verification: As a part of the creation of an account on the Developer Platform, You are required to authenticate Your mobile number
  2. Email verification: As a part of the creation of an account on the Developer Platform, You are required to authenticate Your email.
  3. Identity Verification: Prior to publishing of Your App, You are required to provide certain documents (including, but not limited to, proof of identity, proof of address, proof of business).
  4. Based on the entity type that is declared by You, the type of documents that are required may undergo a change.
  5. There may be additional documents and/or information that You may be required to submit in relation to the onboarding and verification process. The same may be communicated to You via the Developer Platform and/or email id linked to Your account on the Developer Platform.

If You either (a) belong to certain countries/jurisdiction which fall under any list of sanctioned countries; or (b) fall within any list of sanctioned entities/individuals (as the case may be), as may be listed by relevant governments/international bodies and/or other authorities, Indus shall not provide Indus Developer Services to You.

3.2 Sector/Category Specific Requirements and Verification Process: This level of Developer and App onboarding requirements and verification shall be in addition to the General Verification requirements provided above and shall be required based on the category, target audience and/or the sector/type of business in which the specific App operates. 

3.2.1. Financial Services: In relation to a financial service(s) App, please ensure that the App, (i) does not expose End Users to misleading or damaging financial products and services; and (ii) ensures compliance with all Applicable Laws. For the purposes of this Policy, we consider financial products and services to be those related to the management or investment of money and/or cryptocurrencies.

3.2.1.1. Personal loans Personal loan means lending money from one individual, organization, or entity to an individual consumer on a nonrecurring basis, not for the purpose of financing purchase of a fixed asset or education. Any App that provides a personal loan should ensure that the End Users are aware of the repayment schedule, risk, benefits associated with such loans and have access to any other information which shall be required by the End Users in order to make an informed decision. Apps that provide personal loans, including but not limited to Apps which directly offer loans and those who connect consumers with third-party lenders, must have the App category set to “Personal Loan” in the Developer Platform and disclose the following information in the App metadata:

  1. Minimum and maximum repayment period.
  2. The interest rate plus fees and other costs for a year, or similarly other rate calculated as per Applicable Laws and any other relevant details.
  3. A representative example of the total cost of the loan, including the principal and all applicable fees.
  4. A privacy policy, as required under Applicable Laws, that can be accessed by the End Users. We must be able to establish a connection between Your Developer Account and any provided approvals/ permits or documentation proving Your ability to service personal loans. There may be further requirements that You would be required to comply with for Personal Loan Apps (such as providing required declarations and documentation) which shall be provided on the Developer Platform. An Illustrative list of the documents is provided below (for reference only):
  5. If You are licensed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to provide personal loans, You must submit a copy of Your license.
  6. If You are not directly engaged in money lending activities and are only providing a platform to facilitate money lending by registered Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) or banks to End Users, You will have to provide the same to Indus. In addition, the names of all registered NBFCs and banks must be prominently disclosed in Your App’s description. 

3.2.1.2. Other Financial Services related Apps: In case, Your App relates to any other financial services (such as dealing in cryptocurrency), You shall be required to provide information and documentation as specified on the Developer Platform. We may require additional information in relation to Your App and the services that You provide. Based on the information and documentation, the App may not be onboarded/listed on the Indus Appstore.

3.2.2 Criteria for Health and Health Research Apps For the purposes of this Policy, any App which contains/promotes any fitness/well-being/health-related content and/or renders any fitness/well-being/health-related services would fall within the ambit of a health App. Such Apps must ensure that the End User is not exposed to any service related to fitness/well-being/health content which is injurious, dangerous and/or damaging to the End-User. Additionally, please ensure the following:

  1. You do not market/promote/sell any drugs/medicines/nutritional supplements in violation of Applicable Laws including but not limited to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, as may be amended from time to time.
  2. Your App does not mislead the End Users by displaying any health claims that are contradictory to existing medical beliefs and consensus.
  3. If Your App facilitates the sale or purchase of prescription drugs, please ensure that there is a valid prescription for the same.
  4. If Your App contains medical or health-related functionalities, such functionalities should not be deceptive or potentially injurious. Separately, please ensure that suitable disclaimers specifying that the App is only designed for wellness/general fitness and the same is not intended for medical use is adequately displayed in the metadata. A few ILLUSTRATIONS of Apps which may not be allowed are provided below (for reference only):
  5. Any App which contains deceptive claims about curing cancer.
  6. Any App that advocates unapproved medical care/attention. Separately, if You are making an App in affiliation to a recognized healthcare organization pursuant to the receipt of the permission of such healthcare organization, please ensure that You submit the relevant documentation and provide Indus with any additional information that You consider to be relevant in relation to Your app, along with the submission of the App.

3.2.3 Criteria for News Apps A News App would mean an App that allows End Users to browse through news headlines/access news articles. ILLUSTRATION (for reference only): App that predominantly contains user generated content shall not be considered as a news App. If You have a news App, please ensure that the You describe the App as “news” in its App title, icon, developer name, or description. Further, the categorization of the App selected in the Developer Platform shall be ‘news’. News Apps must provide information with respect to the owner of the App. Further, the source of news articles should also be provided. The News App must have a dedicated website or in-App page that is clearly labelled as containing contact information.

3.2.4 Please ensure that You submit the relevant documents and provide us with any additional information that is relevant in relation to your App, prior to the submission of your App to ensure that your App is not rejected. These additional requirements shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

  1. If You have received any approval/license from any regulator/law enforcement agency in relation to your App;
  2. If You are using the Intellectual Property Rights of any third party in your App pursuant to the receipt of the permission/license from such third party;
  3. If You are making any App on behalf of the government and/or any government agency pursuant to the receipt of the permission from such government and/or any government agency;
  4. If you are making an App in affiliation to a recognized healthcare organization pursuant to the receipt of the permission of such healthcare organization; and/or
  5. If you are a non-profit charitable organization, all required permissions/licenses/registrations obtained under Applicable Laws.

3.2.5 Based on the category or industry in which Your App operates (such as real-money gaming, cryptocurrency, forex trading etc.), Indus Appstore may require additional documentation and/or information which may also be made applicable for categories not specifically listed under this section 3.2. Any such requirement shall be communicated to You via the Developer Platform or the email linked to Your account on the Developer Platform. Requisite action may be taken by Indus (including, but not limited to, non-listing, suspension or delisting of the App) in case the requirements are not fulfilled.

  1. APP SUBMISSION AND REVIEW PROCESS

In addition to the requirements otherwise provided in this Policy, You would be required to comply with the requirements as may be prescribed by Indus from time to time, with respect to the submission and review (which may be ongoing) of the App to be listed on the Indus Appstore. The additional requirements shall be shared by Indus via the Developer Platform or email linked to the Your account on the Developer Platform.

  1. CONTENT GUIDELINES

5.1 App Store Categories: Apps should be appropriately categorized for easy discovery by the User.

5.2 Inappropriate Content: You should ensure that Your App does not contain any inappropriate content which may be explicit, or offensive. For the purpose of this Policy, we will prohibit content that is harmful and inappropriate for the End User. A non-exhaustive list of such categories which You should consider while reviewing the content of Your App is provided below. 

5.2.1Sexual Content and Obscenity Any App which contains or promotes sexual or pornographic material, content that promotes or solicits a sexual act in exchange for payment, content associated with sexually predatory behaviour or any other content that contains or promotes sexual content or obscenity shall not be allowed. A few ILLUSTRATIONS of Apps which may not be allowed are provided below (for reference only):

  1. Apps that contain or promote explicit display of sexual organs or activities intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.
  2. Apps that objectify people, such as Apps that claim to undress people or see through clothing.
  3. Apps that promote/facilitate prostitution, human trafficking, escort services, or other services that may be interpreted as providing or soliciting sexual acts in exchange for compensation, including, but not limited to compensated dating or sexual arrangements where one participant is expected or implied to provide money, gifts, or financial support to another participant. 

5.2.2 Hate Speech You should ensure that Your App does not promote defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content, including inciting hatred against groups based on their religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, national/ethnic origin. A few ILLUSTRATIONS of Apps which may not be allowed are provided below (for reference only):

  1. Any App which promotes hate symbols or practises associated with hate groups.
  2. Any App which humiliates, intimidates, or asserts that a protected group is inhuman, inferior or worthy of being hated.

5.2.3 Violence Any App which promotes the use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation would not be allowed. You should ensure that your App does not depict or facilitate gratuitous violence or other dangerous activities. For ILLUSTRATIVE purposes, an App that contains realistic portrayals of people or animals being killed, maimed, tortured, or abused may not be allowed Additionally, We do not allow any Apps which contain content related to planning, preparing, or glorifying violence against civilians.

5.2.4. Terrorist Content You should ensure that your App does not contain any content related to violent/criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further their ideological goals. In this regard, We do not allow any terrorist organizations or any organizations that have engaged in, prepared for, or claimed responsibility for acts of violence against civilians to publish Apps on Indus Appstore, for any purpose whatsoever.

5.2.5. Sensitive Events You should ensure that your App does not seek to profit or is not insensitive toward a sensitive event with noteworthy social, cultural, or political impact, such as terrorist attacks, pandemics, violent conflicts, deaths, or other tragic events. A few ILLUSTRATIONS of Apps which may not be allowed are provided below (for reference only):

  1. Any App which appears to profit from a tragic event with no noticeable aid to the injured party.
  2. Any App which denies the occurrence of a substantiated event.

5.2.6. Intimidation and Harassment You should ensure that your App does not contain or facilitate anonymous bullying, making physical/mental threats, harassment. For ILLUSTRATIVE purposes, any App which enables, (i) posting of malicious rumours/ making malicious allegations in order to humiliate someone publicly; or (ii) harasses victims, or their families and friends, of a tragic event.

5.2.7. Dangerous Products You should ensure that your App does not facilitate the sale of explosives, firearms or ammunition. Similarly, please ensure that your App does not provide instructions for the manufacture of explosives, firearms or ammunition. For ILLUSTRATIVE purposes, instructions on how to convert a firearm to automatic, or simulated automatic, firing capabilities.

5.2.8 Tobacco and Alcohol If Your App deals with tobacco and/or alcohol, You should clearly mention/declare the same on the Developer Platform. We reserve the right to not list Your App that facilitate the sale of tobacco or encourage the illegal or inappropriate use of alcohol or tobacco. However, we may allow Apps that facilitate the limited sale of tobacco products in regions wherein the same is permitted as per Applicable Laws, and subject to age-gating safeguards. In this regard, Indus may require additional documentation, information and verification to be successfully completed by You. In relation to the foregoing, please ensure that Your App does not, (i) depict or encourage the use or sale of alcohol or tobacco to minors; (ii) promote consuming tobacco and vape products to improve social, professional, intellectual standing; (iii) promote consuming excessive amounts of alcohol favourably.

5.3 Content generated by an End User: In relation to content that is generated by an End User (i.e. content that such End Users provide/contribute to the App, and which may be viewed/accessed by any End User of the App), You shall ensure that:

  1. You have a mechanism for filtering objectionable material from being posted on the App.
  2. You have a mechanism to report offensive content and ensure timely resolution of concerns.
  1. MONETIZATION AND IN-APP PURCHASES

6.1. Pricing and Payment: You must clearly communicate pricing for in-App purchases (including pricing for the Apps (if any)) and any associated costs.

6.2. Subscriptions As a Developer, You should not mislead End Users about any subscription services or content You offer within Your App and before asking an End User to subscribe to any services or content, You should clearly indicate what the End User will get for the price. This means that You should be clear about whether a subscription is required to use the App, total cost of Your subscription, the frequency of Your billing cycle. This information shall be provided prominently on the App. You shall ensure that one-time benefits are not stated as subscriptions to the End Users. Further, the terms of a subscription should not be modified post purchase by an End User. Illustrations (for reference only) are provided below.

  1. An App does not allow the End User to get what they’ve paid for unless the End User performs additional tasks, such as posting on social media, uploading contacts, checking in to the App a certain number of times, etc.
  2. An App that attempts to trick End Users into purchasing a subscription under false pretences or engages in scam practices.

6.3. Free Trials You may offer a free trial period to End Users by clearly and accurately describing the terms of Your offer, including the duration of the free trial, and description of accessible content or services during the free trial. However, please ensure to provide clarity on how and when such a free trial will convert to a paid subscription and other associated terms (such as cancellation mechanism).

6.4. Subscription Management If Your App includes in-App purchases/subscriptions, You must ensure that there is mechanism in place for the management and cancellation of such in-App purchase/subscriptions and the same must be clearly disclosed to an End User.

  1. SECURITY & ASSOCIATED REQUIREMENTS

7.1. Security Good Practices: The Developer shall adhere to industry good practices in relation to the security of the End User. A few illustrations of the same are provided below (for reference only) The Developer shall ensure that:

  1. The Apps don’t interfere with, disrupt, damage, or access in an unauthorized manner the End User’s Device, other devices or computers, servers, networks, application programming interfaces (APIs), or services, including but not limited to other Apps on the Device or an authorized carrier’s network. The Apps shall not allow code that introduces or exploits security vulnerabilities.
  2. The App does not make changes to the End User’s Device settings or features outside of the App without the End User’s consent.
  3. The App does not contain malware, viruses, or harmful code. Malware is any code that could put an End User, an End User’s data, or Device at risk.
  4. The App does not contain such code that allows the execution of unwanted, potentially harmful, remote-controlled operations on the Device.
  5. The App does not contain a code that automatically charges the End User in an intentionally deceptive way.
  6. The App does not contain any code that collects personal or sensitive End User data from the Device and transmits the data to a third party (enterprise or another individual) for monitoring purposes. Your App must provide adequate prominent disclosure and obtain consent as required by Applicable Laws.
  7. The App does not contain such code that isn’t in itself potentially harmful but downloads other applications that may be harmful.
  8. The App does not contain code that pretends to come from a trustworthy source, requests an End User’s authentication credentials or billing information, and sends the data to a third-party.
  9. The App does not contain code that compromises the integrity of the system by breaking the App sandbox, gaining elevated privileges, or changing or disabling access to core security-related functions.
  10. The App does not contain code that takes partial or extensive control of the Device or data on the Device and demands that the End User make a payment or perform an action to release control.
  11. The App contains code that roots the Device.
  12. The App does not contain code that sends unsolicited messages to the End User’s contacts or uses the Device as an email spam relay.
  13. The App does not have any code that transmits personal data off the device without adequate notice or consent as prescribed by Applicable Laws.
  14. The App does not contain any other code that may harm the End User in any manner.

7.2 Spam You shall ensure that You do not use the Indus Developer Services to spam End Users or send unsolicited messages to End Users including push notifications ILLUSTRATION (for reference only): (i) an App that sends SMS, email, or other messages on behalf of the End User without giving the End User the ability to confirm the content and intended recipients; (ii) an App which is engaged in providing a web-view of a website without permission from the website owner or administrator.

7.3. Functionality To ensure that the End User has an appealing, secure and receptive experience, please assure that You don’t allow Apps that crash, force close, freeze, or otherwise function abnormally. Further, please ensure that Your App does not use unauthorised system API’s or interfere/imitate/block the system functionality. ILLUSTRATION, Apps that show UI which causes the End User to grant permissions by mistake will not be allowed.

7.4. SDK Requirements In case You rely on third-party code including an SDK to integrate key functionality and services for Your App, it is Your responsibility to ensure that such third-party code does not result in Your App being non-compliant with the Indus Developer Policies. This is to ensure that the End Users are safe, and Your App is secure from any vulnerabilities. It is important to be aware of how the SDKs in Your App handle End User data and to ensure You know what permissions they use, what data they collect, and the reason for such collection.

  1. APP STORE MANAGEMENT:

If Your App or Developer Account on the Developer Platform violates any part of the Indus Developer Policies, we’ll take any one of the actions as provided below.

  1. If You submit an App which is not compliant with the Indus Developer Policies, We may reject such an App and refuse to list the same. In the event the non-compliance is only limited to an App update wherein the previous version of the App was not in violation of such Policies, We will continue to list the previous version on the Indus Appstore and You will continue to have access to user installs, statistics, and ratings. In such a case, the rejection of the App update shall not impact the standing of Your Developer Account.
  2. Where an App is not compliant with the Indus Developer Policies, We may remove or suspend the App from the Indus Appstore. In such an event, the App will no longer be available to the Users to download and the Users will not be able to see the App’s listing on the Indus Appstore. In case, the App is suspended, You shall submit an App update that is compliant with the Indus Developer Policies.
  3. In the event of a material violation or multiple violations of the Indus Developer Policy, We may terminate Your account on the Developer Platform. The consequences of such termination shall include (i) removal of all the Apps uploaded via such Developer Account, (ii) inability to list new Apps; (iii) Your Developer Account being suspended. Where Your account is dormant, We may terminate Your account.
  4. In case it comes to Indus’s notice that You are in violation of section 2.19 (Sanctions and Internal Policies) of this Policy and/or breach of Applicable Laws, Your Developer Account shall be terminated forthwith.

8.1. Appeals Process You can reach out to Indus in relation to any action taken by Indus as per this section. You can contact our support team via the support section on the Developer Platform. We will reinstate Apps if an error was made, and we find that Your App does not violate the Indus Developer Policies and the Terms.

8.2. Additional Requirements Indus shall have the right to request for additional information, documentation and other requirements from You in relation to Your App (which may include, but not be limited to, requirements in relation to due-diligence of Your App and/or Your business/licenses). Such request may be made any time before or after submission/listing of Your App on the Indus Appstore. In case of such a request, You shall fulfil all requirements promptly except when a specific timeline is prescribed by Indus in this regard. Failure to fulfil the requirements may result in any action as listed in this section 8.

  1. CONTACT INFORMATION

In case of any queries, You can reach out to us via the support section on the Developer Platform. A few queries/concerns are listed below (for reference only):

  1. Questions about creating, submitting, and/or publishing any App on the Indus Appstore (for instance if You have any questions about the onboarding process or if You require any help with using the Indus Appstore or if You wish to delete an App).
  2. Reporting any mobile application or any ads or commercial content inside a mobile application that You believe violates any Applicable Laws or violates our Indus Developer Policies.
  3. An App that You feel has violated Your Intellectual Property Rights.
  4. An App enabling or dealing with the sale or promotion for sale of counterfeit goods within a mobile application.

If You are a trademark owner and You believe there is an App on Indus Appstore that infringes Your trademark, we encourage You to reach out to the developer of such a mobile application directly to resolve Your concern. If You are unable to reach a resolution with the developer, You can contact our support team via the support section on the Developer Platform. We will review the material and take appropriate action to address your concerns.

  1. POLICY UPDATES

Indus may amend this Policy at any time by posting an updated version through the Developer Platform developer.indusappstore.com and/or on the Indus website www.indusappstore.com. You will be given a notice, and the updated version will be effective after such notice period, except in urgent situations such as preventing abuse, responding to legal/regulatory requirements, or addressing security and operability issues in which case the revised/updated version shall be applicable immediately (“Notice Period”). Your continued use of Indus Developer Services following the Notice Period constitutes Your acceptance of the revised Policy. If You do not agree with such changes, You may terminate Your use of Indus Developer Services and Indus Appstore, which will be Your sole and exclusive remedy.