Google Wallet launched in India: How is it different from GPay

Google Wallet India launch: Google has officially launched Google Wallet in India, expanding its services to let customers store documents, movie tickets, and flight boarding passes. The announcement comes days after Google refused reports that Google Wallet was accessible in India, based on screenshots posted by several users on X and Reddit. Google has tied up with brands such as PVR Inox, Air India, Flipkart, and Kochi Metro initially to allow customers to store related documents.

“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,” said Ram Papatla, GM and India Engineering Lead, Android at Google.

Google Wallet features

Google Wallet is Google’s answer to Apple Wallet, which has been available in India for a long time. It automatically fetches documents such as a boarding pass from partner airlines, movie tickets, loyalty cards, transit tickets from partner operators, and other documents directly from your Gmail inbox. The initial partners include PVR Inox, MakeMyTrip, Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Easemytrip, Ixigo, Flipkart, Domino’s, Shoppers Stop, Pinelabs, EasyRewardz, Twid, Kochi Metro, Hyderabad Metro, VRL Travels, and Abhibus.

How is Google Wallet different from GPay?

Google Wallet is a digital wallet that allows customers to store documents automatically and manually. However, it does not allow them to make payments, unlike its American counterpart, which is a one-stop solution for all digital payments. Google Pay (GPay) is the company’s online payment app for Indian customers, giving them access to services such as Unified Payments Interface (UPI), RuPay credit cards, and Visa credit cards for online payments. According to Google, Google Wallet complements Google Pay, which will “continue to serve the payments needs of users across India.”

Google Wallet is now available to download on Android phones through the Google Play Store.