Google has quietly launched a new hyper local services app in India. On Wednesday, it launched Areo, an app that delivers food and home services for residents in Bangalore and Mumbai.

The app will feature restaurants, chefs, local electricians, painters and so on. Users can pay by card, net banking or cash on delivery.

The company usually announces new products on its blog and follows it up with a press release.

India has been a test bed for some of Google’s biggest bets in the last two years or so. The company first launched its Android One program in the country. It also launched Allo, an instant messenger in India last year and also brought YouTube Go, an app designed grounds up for the Indian users. Android focussed site AndroidSoul was the first to spot this on the app store.

The company’s India born CEO Sundar Pichai said in January this year: India would be a 1 trillion dollar digital economy in the next 3-4 years and it makes business sense for Google to have more India-centric products.

In April last year, Facebook had launched a local services site in the country. Through Facebook.com/services, users can find pet services, event planners and so on.

Hyper local services and food tech were a rage in investing circles the last 3-4 years or so. According to Tracxn, including the likes of UrbanClap and Housejoy, over 650 companies have raised $180 million in the space. However, the excitement died down as many companies burned through cash and found it hard to retain users. Companies like Freshmenu and Swiggy are popular food delivery apps in the country.

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