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Google Wallet will finally found in India — nearly two years after itsrelaunch as a digital notecase platformin the U.S. — according to a preview of the app that the society accidentallypostedon the Google caper store in the country .
After TechCrunch spotted the itemization for the app — which will let users stretch up commitment cards and grease one’s palms thing , among other features — the society declined to confirm that it will be coming presently to Android exploiter . But it then seemed to pull some of the details from the listing , such as what look to be high - profile launch collaborator local to India . ( The app now more generically feature U.S. brands . )
Somewhat bewilderingly , Google did confirm to us that it will bear on to run Google Pay as a stand - alone app in the country , at least for now . That ’s a different strategy from just about every other food market , where Google has been merging Wallet and Pay experience together under a exclusive Wallet app .
“ While we do n’t have anything new to share right now , we ’re always work to bring more convenience to masses ’s digital experiences in India . We ’re continue to invest in the Google Pay app to give people easy , secure accession to digital defrayal , ” a Google spokesperson say in a statement to TechCrunch .
We read that part of the rationality seems to be that Google Pay is already massive in the land — it ’s largely understood that India is Google ’s largest market globally for payments , and it ’s the secondly - largest requital app after PhonePe .
Not least because Google has corroborate its plan to continue to proffer Google Pay as its payment help in India , the Indian rendering of Google Wallet is expected to take issue from that of the U.S. For one , Google is looking to put up local integrations on the Wallet app in the rural area , which house its big Android user base .
The Google Wallet listing that TechCrunch spotted last week featured screenshots of Indian airline Air India , nation - possess bank State Bank of India and manifold string PVR Inox , suggesting that loyalty degree can be picked up and used through these brands . ( Shortly after TechCrunch reach out to Google for comment , Google update the itemisation with U.S. brands . )
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TheexistingGoogle Wallet app is not usable yet for download through the Play Store in India , but it has been working for some Android users in the body politic for some time , asreportedby the Native American issue Beebom . However , functionality is limited : user can add credit and debit cards for contactless payments , but the app does not support any Amerind businesses and local trueness programs .
These latest changes crest off a lot of bouncing Google has been doing between various financial service and other than branded apps . Google Wallet waslaunchedas the ship’s company ’s payment solution way back in 2011 . Then Google found Android Pay . Then ittried to replacethe Wallet and its Android Pay app with Google Pay . In 2022 , Google relaunched the Wallet app as its digital billfold platform for Android , Wear OS and Fitbit OS . However , in February this year , the search giantannouncedit would replace Google Pay with the Wallet app in the U.S.
Unlike its U.S. version , Google Pay in India employ the Indian government - backed framework Unified Payments Interface ( UPI ) to enable payments . This is one cause why Google Pay is different in India , and one reason why it might choose to continue giving user a separate option if they are already using it .
Google Pay is thesecond most used UPI appin India after Walmart ’s PhonePe , giving Google an apparent reason to continue to bear out it while bid digital wallet - related experience through the Wallet app . The Google Pay app initiated more than 5 billion dealings prize at over $ 83 billion in March , per thedataposted by the UPI parent organization National Payments Corporation of India .
