Google Wallet Coming to India After Two Year’s Launch in the U.S.
Finally, Google Wallet will make its way to India, almost two years after it was relaunched as a digital wallet platform in the United States. This news is according to a preview of the app accidentally posted on the Google Play store in the country.
After TechCrunch discovered the app listing, the company declined to confirm its upcoming release for Android users. However, details from the listing were later removed, including potential launch partners located in India. (The app now primarily features U.S. brands.)
Somewhat confusingly, Google has confirmed that Google Pay will continue to exist as a standalone app in India, at least for the time being. This is different from other markets where Google has merged Wallet and Pay into a single app.
“While we have no new information to share at this time, we are always working to make people’s digital experiences in India more convenient. We are constantly investing in the Google Pay app to provide secure and easy access to digital payments,” a Google spokesperson stated in a comment to TechCrunch.
It is understood that Google Pay is already widely used in India, making it the company’s largest market for payments and the second most used payment app after PhonePe.
- The Indian version of Google Wallet is expected to differ from the U.S. version. One reason for this is the country’s significant Android user base, giving Google the opportunity to provide local integrations on the Wallet app.
The listing for Google Wallet that TechCrunch discovered last week featured screenshots of Indian airline Air India, state-owned bank State Bank of India, and multiplex chain PVR Inox. This suggests that users will be able to earn and use loyalty points through these brands. (However, the listing was updated with U.S. brands shortly after TechCrunch reached out to Google for comment.)
Although the current version of Google Wallet is not yet available for download on the Play Store in India, it has been functioning for some Android users in the country, as reported by Indian outlet Beebom. However, its capabilities are limited to adding credit and debit cards for contactless payments, as it does not support any Indian businesses or local loyalty programs.
These recent changes mark the end of Google’s back-and-forth between different financial services and rebranded apps. The company initially launched Google Wallet as its payment solution in 2011, followed by Android Pay. In an attempt to merge the Wallet and Android Pay apps, Google then launched Google Pay. Finally, in 2022, the Wallet app was reintroduced as a digital wallet platform for Android, Wear OS, and Fitbit OS. But in February of this year, Google announced that it would be replacing Google Pay with the Wallet app in the U.S.
Unlike the U.S. version, Google Pay in India uses the government-backed platform Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for payments. This is one of the reasons why Google Pay differs in India and why it may choose to continue offering a separate option for users who are already using it.
Despite Google Pay being the second most used UPI app in India, behind Walmart’s PhonePe, Google has decided to continue supporting it while also offering digital wallet features through the Wallet app. As of March, Google Pay has facilitated over 5 billion transactions worth more than $83 billion, according to data from the UPI parent organization, National Payments Corporation of India.
