Indus Appstore is being renamed PhonePe Appstore, with PhonePe expanding the service into a marketplace for digital goods. A browser-based webstore already lists gift cards, while gaming top-ups are planned as the first stage of a wider top-up rollout. The company also says its app marketplace is present on more than 200 million devices through device-maker partnerships.
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Indus Appstore Gets the PhonePe Name
PhonePe announced the change on 28 October 2026. The platform will now use the PhonePe Appstore name as it expands from finding and downloading apps into a wider digital marketplace. Apps and games remain part of the service, while gift cards and planned top-ups add more ways to spend on digital products.
The original Indus Appstore made its consumer debut in February 2024 as an Android app store with discovery in 12 Indian languages. The new announcement builds on that app-distribution business rather than introducing an unrelated payments app.
Priya Narasimhan, Chief Business Officer at PhonePe Appstore, says the new identity brings the PhonePe brand’s reach to the platform. The company is also looking at more ways for developers to earn, including advertising, gift cards and top-ups. It has not announced a new commission rate or a detailed fee structure with this rebranding.
A Webstore for Digital Purchases
The accompanying PhonePe Appstore website takes the marketplace beyond the mobile app. It is designed for desktop and mobile browsers, allowing people to browse and purchase digital goods without downloading a separate marketplace app.
The website already lists gift cards across shopping, food, travel and other categories. Its catalogue includes Flipkart, Amazon Pay, Zomato and Cleartrip gift cards. These are individual products with their own denominations and conditions, rather than a single discount that applies to every purchase.
For example, the Flipkart E-Gift Card listing currently shows a ₹100 denomination at ₹98, with one-year validity and Pine Labs Limited named as the seller. The listing also provides redemption instructions. Prices and offers can change, so the selected denomination, validity and final payable amount matter more than the headline “up to” discount.
Browser access is a useful part of this expansion. Someone looking for a gift card can go directly to the webstore instead of first installing an Android marketplace. App discovery and digital purchases can therefore serve different needs within the same PhonePe Appstore brand.
Gaming Top-ups Are Planned First
Digital Top-ups are part of the announced feature pipeline, with gaming top-ups due to roll out first. The examples mentioned include in-game currency and items such as coins and skins. Dating-app boosts and other tech top-ups are also part of the broader plan.
PhonePe has not provided a rollout date, a complete list of supported games or top-up prices in this announcement. Gift-card listings are already visible on the webstore, but that should not be read as confirmation that every proposed top-up category is available now.
For players, the useful detail will be support for their particular game and account region when the service rolls out. A gift card and a direct game-account top-up can have different redemption steps, so they should not be treated as interchangeable products.
200 Million Devices, Not Active Users
PhonePe says the marketplace is present on more than 200 million devices, or 20 crore devices, through partnerships with device makers. This describes its distribution footprint. It is not a reported count of monthly active users, paying customers or completed purchases.
The company names Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka and Telangana as its five leading states by adoption. Its app catalogue includes ChatGPT, Duolingo, ShareChat and Sony LIV, alongside games such as Honor of Kings and Hitwicket.
ChatGPT’s inclusion also follows PhonePe’s earlier collaboration with OpenAI. The current announcement does not set out a new ChatGPT subscription offer or a new AI feature.
What Changes for Developers and Buyers
PhonePe plans to connect distribution with its payments infrastructure, advertising and business insights. For developers, the proposed benefit is another route to reach customers and sell digital products beyond an app download. Actual earnings will depend on the commercial terms and customer demand.
For buyers, the immediate changes are the PhonePe Appstore identity and browser-based gift-card catalogue. The larger gaming and digital top-up expansion remains a rollout to watch. The important next details are supported products, prices and redemption rules, rather than the size of the device footprint alone.