PhonePe has given its homegrown app store a new name and a wider job to do. Indus Appstore is now PhonePe Appstore, the Bengaluru company announced on October 28, 2026, as it turns a platform built for finding and downloading apps into a marketplace for digital goods and services.
The timing matters. The platform is now present on more than 200 million devices, PhonePe said, driven largely by partnerships with phone makers that pre-install it on handsets. That reach is the foundation for the next step: alongside apps and games, users will be able to buy gift cards and digital top-ups, with payments running on PhonePe’s own infrastructure.
For regular users, the change will first show up as a familiar name. The app marketplace now carries the PhonePe name most Indian smartphone users already associate with payments. For developers, PhonePe is pitching broader ways to earn from the same audience, through advertising, gift cards and top-ups, rather than downloads alone.
From app discovery to digital goods
Indus Appstore started as an Android alternative to the big global app stores, with a pitch built around Indian languages and local discovery. The rebrand keeps that core. Its catalogue already includes names such as ChatGPT, Duolingo, ShareChat and Sony LIV, alongside games including Honor of Kings and Hitwicket.
What changes is what else the store sells. PhonePe said consumers will now be able to access gift cards and top-ups with offers across categories, covering shopping, travel, gaming, health and fitness, food and lifestyle brands. Gaming top-ups are scheduled to come first, with digital recharge options for in-game currency and items, followed by top-ups in other categories.
The logic is straightforward. A store that already sits on 200 million devices does not need to win a fresh download to sell a gift card. It needs to make the purchase simple, and PhonePe believes running that purchase through its payments stack will do that.
A web store, no app download needed
Alongside the rebrand, PhonePe is launching phonepeappstore.com, a web store that lets people browse and buy digital goods through a browser without downloading a separate app. That matters for gift cards and top-ups, which are often bought in the moment or for someone else.
The web store extends the same idea as the app: a single place to find a digital product and pay for it.
Where the store is strongest
Adoption so far has been led by five states: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana, PhonePe said.
The 200 million device figure needs a careful reading. It counts devices where the platform is present, largely through phone-maker partnerships, rather than 200 million active users. Even so, the number explains why PhonePe is investing in the store now: a pre-installed presence on that scale is hard to build from scratch.
Priya Narasimhan, Chief Business Officer at PhonePe Appstore, described the rebrand as a major milestone. “Rebranding Indus Appstore to PhonePe Appstore is a major milestone in our journey and brings in the trust and reach of the PhonePe brand,” she said. “Developers can look beyond simple app discovery and unlock new ways to earn, including ads, gift cards, and top-ups.”
What it means for users and developers
For users, the practical changes to look for are:
- A new name in the app drawer: Indus Appstore listings and branding will now read PhonePe Appstore, while apps and games remain available as before.
- Gift cards and top-ups in the store: digital gift cards and top-ups across categories, with gaming top-ups planned first.
- A browser option: phonepeappstore.com lets users browse and buy digital goods without installing the store app.
- PhonePe payments at checkout: purchases run on PhonePe’s payments infrastructure, keeping discovery and payment in one flow.
For developers, the pitch is a second distribution route alongside the dominant global stores, plus revenue options that go beyond a download or an in-app purchase. Whether that proves attractive will depend on the commercial terms PhonePe sets, and on how many of those 200 million device placements turn into repeat buyers.
The rebrand also fits a wider pattern at PhonePe, which has been bringing more of its businesses under the PhonePe name. A single brand across payments and an app marketplace makes each new product easier to explain to users who already use PhonePe to pay.
FAQs
What is the new name of Indus Appstore?
Indus Appstore has been renamed PhonePe Appstore. PhonePe announced the rebrand on October 28, 2026.
How many devices is PhonePe Appstore on?
PhonePe says the platform is present on more than 200 million devices, driven largely by partnerships with phone makers.
What can users buy on PhonePe Appstore now?
Alongside apps and games, users can access gift cards and digital top-ups across categories, with gaming top-ups scheduled to launch first.
Do users need to download an app to use it?
No. PhonePe has also launched phonepeappstore.com, a web store for browsing and buying digital goods through a browser.
What changes for developers?
Developers get an alternative distribution route plus new earning options through ads, gift cards and top-ups, according to PhonePe. No new commission rate was announced with the rebrand.
PhonePe Appstore is the new name for Indus Appstore. Readers who already have the store installed should see the PhonePe Appstore branding roll out in place of the old name.
