Google Wallet May Enter India With Local Integrations, Pay To Remain Standalone App

After nearly two years since its revival as a digital wallet platform in the United States, Google Wallet is poised to make its long-awaited debut in India.

While the Google Wallet app is now downloadable from the Google Play Store, its availability remains restricted as the rollout is currently limited.

Following discovery of the app listing, which promises features such as loading loyalty cards and making purchases, Google refrained from confirming its imminent release to Android users, TechCrunch reported. However, the company swiftly removed certain details from the listing, including potential high-profile launch partners specific to India.

“While we don’t have anything new to share right now, we’re always working to bring more convenience to people’s digital experiences in India. We’re continuing to invest in the Google Pay app to give people easy, secure access to digital payments,” a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch.

It appears that the Google Wallet listing recently discovered by TechCrunch included screenshots showcasing the app’s features tailored for the Indian market. These screenshots featured prominent Indian brands such as Air India, State Bank of India, and PVR Inox, hinting at the integration of loyalty points with these local services.

This suggests that Google is actively customising the Wallet app for India, possibly to offer users a more personalised and relevant experience. However, later Google updated the listing with the US brands.

Google Wallet offers a comprehensive solution for managing various forms of payment methods, including debit cards, credit cards, loyalty cards, gift cards, and digital currencies. Users can conveniently make payments via their mobile devices globally, whether it’s sending money to friends, purchasing goods online or offline, or tapping to pay at NFC-enabled terminals.

Instead of being solely reliant on UPI (Unified Payments Interface), Google Wallet focuses on enabling contactless payments specifically through debit or credit cards. Moreover, it requires devices with NFC (Near Field Communication) support, limiting its functionality to NFC-capable devices.

This distinction positions Google Wallet as an alternative payment solution, particularly suited for users who prefer contactless payments and have NFC-enabled smartphones.

In other countries, Google is combining Wallet and Pay into a single app. However, in India, it will continue to run Google Pay as a standalone payment app, as per the report.

In March, Google Pay processed 5 Bn transactions, marking a 6.3% increase from 4.7 Bn in February. Overall, UPI payments rose to 13.4 Bn in March compared to 12 Bn in February, as per NPCI data.