Google Wallet Launches In India

SUMMARY

At launch, Google claims to have 20 brands as partners, including cinema chains PVR & INOX, and players such as Flipkart and Pine Labs

Google Wallet is a separate product from Google Pay in India, whereas it’s offered with payments features in other markets

Google has also partnered with Wavelynx and Alert Enterprise to bring corporate identity badges to the Wallet app

Tech giant Google has launched the Google Wallet app for Android users in India, partnering with a slew of ecommerce and ticketing partners.

Google Wallet allows users to store tickets, boarding passes, loyalty or membership cards and more for easy access. At launch, Google claims to have 20 brands as partners, including cinema chains PVR & INOX, national carriers Air India and Indigo, as well as ecommerce and fintech players such as Flipkart and Pine Labs.

Besides this, commuters and passengers on Kochi Metro, Hyderabad Metro, VRL Travels and Abhibus can also store their passes and tickets on the app. Google has also partnered with system integrators such as Wavelynx and Alert Enterprise to bring corporate identity badges to the Wallet app.

It must be noted that Google Wallet is a separate product from Google Pay in India, whereas it’s offered with payments features in other markets.

Ram Papatla, general manager and India engineering lead for the Android team at Google, emphasised that given Google Pay’s strong brand presence in the Indian payments market, it would remain the core payments product for the tech giant.

“The arrival of Google Wallet in India marks an important milestone in Android’s India journey, bringing innovative and convenient experiences to simplify peoples’ daily lives. We are delighted to partner with many of India’s top brands to offer a comprehensive solution that helps you securely access and manage your everyday essentials,” he added.

In this regard, Google Wallet is closer to Apple Wallet in its feature set. Similar to Google Wallet, Apple allows users to store tickets, boarding passes and other loyalty cards digitally.

Given the larger market share of Google Pay, however, partnerships with key players will be a big advantage for Google Wallet. It remains to be seen whether the app will also make its way for iOS users.