Google just launched Google Wallet in India after mistakenly showing it on the Play Store last month. Google Wallet is a bit different from Google Pay. It’s like a digital wallet on your Android phone to store things like boarding passes, event tickets, and digital keys. But here’s the thing: you can’t use it to pay for things.
For payments, you still need Google Pay, which many people already use. So, Google Wallet is for keeping your digital stuff handy, while Google Pay is for making payments.
Google Wallet and Google Pay: What’s the Deal?
Ram Paptala, the head of Android engineering at Google India, explained that Google Pay isn’t going anywhere—it’s still their main app for payments. Google Wallet, on the other hand, is designed for things other than paying for stuff.
While Google often merges apps and services to make things simpler, they currently don’t plan to blend payment features from Google Pay into Google Wallet. So, in India, some cool features of Google Wallet, like storing credit cards or tapping to pay with NFC, won’t be available for now. Exclusive to Android Phones in India, Google Wallet will only work on Android phones and won’t be compatible with smartwatches or other wearables. In other countries, Google Wallet works on wearables as well.
As of now, the Wallet app isn’t available for download on the Google Play Store in India. However, it’s anticipated it will be listed soon.
What You Can Do with Google Wallet in India
Google Wallet may not let you make payments in India, but it’s still pretty handy for other stuff!
- Save Tickets: You can add movie or event tickets to your Google Wallet, so they’re right there when you need them.
- Boarding Passes: Travelers can keep their boarding passes on the app. If you’ve got a Google Pixel, just take a screenshot of your pass and tap “Add to Google Wallet.”
- Loyalty and Gift Cards: Store and use your loyalty and gift cards digitally, including ones from Flipkart, Dominos, and Shopper Stop.
- Access Cards: Store your corporate badge in the app for easier access to workspaces.
- Digitize Documents: Turn physical documents like boarding passes, luggage tags, or parking receipts into digital passes using barcodes or QR codes.
While you can’t pay with Google Wallet in India, it’s still a secure place to keep your digital stuff organized. Google Pay will handle all your payment needs here.
Accessing Tickets Made Easy with Google Wallet in India
In India, Android users can now conveniently find their movie and train tickets right in the Google Wallet app. If you’ve enabled smart personalization settings in Gmail, confirmation emails for these tickets will automatically show up in your Google Wallet. Google has teamed up with 20 brands to introduce the Google Wallet experience in India. These brands include big names like PVR, INOX, Air India, Flipkart, and more.
Regarding compatibility, Google mentioned that for now, the Google Wallet app won’t work with smartwatches or other wearables in India. However, there might be plans to integrate it with Google’s Wear OS in the future. Right now, the app is designed to work only on Android phones. Unlike in some other countries, Google Wallet won’t function on wearables in India.
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