Google Wallet has officially launched in India and if you have an Android phone, you can now download it for your device.
Wallet has been around for years, mostly in markets like the US where the digital ecosystem works differently.
Google is bringing the Wallet to India without the payments support, which means you cannot attach your debit or credit cards to the app and forget your wallet at home.
The company has offered the app with the ability to keep your tickets, and your loyalty cards.
Google is focused on making the app work effectively rather than push all the features from day one, which makes sense.
Having said that, bringing the NFC-based payment feature through Wallet could have given Google the first-mover advantage over Apple in the country.
Google has highlighted the features that will work through Wallet in India. These include:
– Save movie or event tickets on the Wallet app (Android-only)– Access boarding passes for your flights– Redeem loyalty and gift cards digitally– Use the wallet to take public transit in select cities– Make digital copies of tags, receipts and more– Get instant access to tickets available through Gmail
Google says the Wallet interacts with other apps like Gmail only if the user gives them the access to do so.
Google Pay is the main platform for the company that serves the digital payments needs in India.