Google has finally introduced Google Wallet in India after accidentally listing it on the Play Store last month.
It’s important to note that Google Wallet is different from Google Pay. Google Wallet is a secure digital wallet for Android that lets you store airline boarding passes, event passes, movie and travel tickets, digital keys, parking receipts or IDs for quick access.
But here’s the catch: you can’t use the Google Wallet app to make payments. For that, you’ll still need Google Pay, which is already quite popular.
Ram Paptala, General Manager and India engineering lead, Android at Google, made it clear that Google Pay isn’t going anywhere. “It will stay as our main payments app. Google Wallet is made specifically for things other than payments,” he said.
Google has a history of merging apps and services into one cohesive, neat experience from time to time. So is there a possibility that in the future, Google Pay will be integrated into Google Wallet?
At the launch event, Google mentioned to Firstpost that for now, they don’t plan to mix any payment features from Google Pay into Google Wallet. This means some of the Wallet’s coolest features like storing your credit cards or tapping to pay using NFC won’t be available in India for Google Wallet.
In India, the Google Wallet app won’t include features for making payments. Google clarifies that Google Wallet complements Google Pay, which will continue to handle payment needs for Indian users.
Google describes the Wallet app as a secure and private digital wallet, offering quick access to stored, passes, tickets, keys, or IDs.
Here’s what the Google Wallet app can do in India:
Save movie or event tickets: Android users can conveniently add their movie or event tickets to their Google Wallet, making it easier to access them when needed.
Access boarding passes: Travelers can save and access their mobile boarding passes on the Google Wallet app. Google Pixel device users can even add their boarding pass by taking a screenshot and tapping “Add to Google Wallet.”
Redeem loyalty or gift cards: Users can store and use digital copies of their loyalty and gift cards through Google Wallet. Google has partnered with brands like Flipkart, Dominos, and Shopper Stop for this feature.
Replace your access key cards: Google Wallet users can store and access their corporate badge in the app, making it more convenient to access workspaces.
Digitise physical documents: Android users can create new passes in the Google Wallet from images containing barcodes or QR codes, such as airline boarding passes, luggage tags, or parking receipts.
While the Google Wallet app in India won’t support payment-related features, it offers various other functionalities to enhance user convenience and organisation.
In India, Android users will have the convenience of accessing movie and train tickets directly in the Google Wallet app. Confirmation emails for these tickets will automatically appear in the Google Wallet if users have smart personalisation settings enabled in Gmail.
To begin with, Google has collaborated with 20 brands to bring the Google Wallet experience to India. These brands include PVR & INOX, Air India, Indigo, Flipkart, Pine Labs, Kochi Metro, Abhibus, and others.
In response to another inquiry, Google mentioned that the Google Wallet app will not be compatible with smartwatches or other wearables, at least for now. However, there may be plans to integrate the app with Google’s Wear OS in the future. Currently, the app is designed to work exclusively on Android phones. While in some other countries, Google Wallet functions on wearables as well.
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India finally gets Google Wallet for Android, but there’s a catch
