Google Wallet App Launched in India: What is it and how is it different from Google Pay

Google has rolled out its digital wallet application, Google Wallet, in India. The application provides users with a secure way to store private information like loyalty cards, transit passes, IDs, and more. It is important to note that the launch of Google Wallet will not affect Google Pay, which is already a popular UPI application in India.

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Google Wallet is different from Google Pay in that it is a secure and private digital wallet that allows users quick access to payment cards, passes, tickets, keys, or IDs that they share on the app.

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Google Pay, on the other hand, is a platform for users to manage their finances, send money to friends and family, earn rewards, find offers from merchants, and get insights about their spending habits.

Google Pixel smartphone users in India will have the Google Wallet app pre-installed on their devices. Non-Pixel users can download a digital wallet from the Play Store to store their card details. However, the Google Wallet app will not be available on wearables.

At launch, Google announced partnerships with PVR INOX, Flipkart, Air India, Shoppers Stop, and Ixigo among others.

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The Google Wallet application was first launched in 2011 and was later merged with the Android Pay application in 2018 to create Google Pay. Google had also launched a separate application just for UPI payments called Google Tez, which was later rebranded as Google Pay.

Essentially, this meant that there were two Google Pay applications, one for India and one for the rest of the world. In 2022, however, Google renamed its global Google Pay application to Google Wallet.