 "Google expands India operations with self-owned after-sales centres")
Google plans to launch three self-owned walk-in centres, in collaboration with F1 Info Solutions, to offer after-sales support for its devices in India, according to Maggie Wei, Senior Director, Product Operation at Google. Announced on August 13, the US-based technology giant has selected Delhi and Bengaluru as the locations for its maiden walk-in centres in the country that will be inaugurated on August 14. The third centre is planned for Mumbai, although it will not launch concurrently with those in Delhi and Bengaluru.
In addition to these developments, Google has announced an expansion of Pixel retail availability in India by partnering with Reliance Digital and Croma. Previously, Google had relied primarily on the e-commerce platform Flipkart for Pixel availability and on third-party vendors such as B2x and F1 Info Solutions for after-sales support.
Google has also been actively working on forming partnerships with domestic contract manufacturers to produce Pixel devices in India. On August 12, it was announced that the made-in-India Pixel 8 had begun rolling off production lines. The Pixel 8 is currently the only model being manufactured by Google in India, but the company plans to expand local production to include the A-series, starting with the Pixel 8a. Maggie Wei confirmed that, for now, local production is intended for domestic availability, but the company may consider exporting units from India if it aligns with their broader plans.
Meanwhile, Google's competitor Apple has been aggressively expanding its operations in India. According to a Business Standard report, Apple exceeded its performance-linked incentive scheme target by shipping 85 per cent of iPhones by production value (Rs 40,145 crore) in April-July FY25. During the same period, the company exported 79 per cent of its iPhones from the country.