Google Play Store now available in India: How is it different from Google Play, how to use it

Google has started making Google Wallet available to Android users in India in phases. Here's how you can use it and how's it different from Google Pay.

Published: Apr 22, 2024, 12:37 PM IST

Google Wallet

Story Highlights

Google has started rolling out Google Wallet in India.
Google Wallet is available to select Android users right now.
Google Wallet is being rolled out in phases in India.

Google Wallet India launch: Google has started rolling out Google Wallet to users of its services in India. After a series of reports pointing towards the potential launch of the app in the country, Google Wallet has started to show up on Google Play Store in India. But there is a catch.

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The app isn’t available to all Android users yet. A quick search on Google Play still shows the message, “The app is not available in your country yet.” However, a lot of Android users in India have already reported that the Google Wallet app is available to them for download, indicating that the company is rolling out the app in India in phases. So, if the app is still unavailable to you, chances are that you will get it in the next couple of weeks.

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Google Wallet is finally available in India 🇮🇳 officially!!

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It will work separately alongside Google Pay.#GoogleWallet #Google pic.twitter.com/lDVQmEQob5

— Abhishek Singh⚡ (@oye_abhsk) April 22, 2024

Google Wallet is now officially available on the Play Store in India.🇮🇳

Is it available for you to download?🤔#GoogleWallet #Google pic.twitter.com/gPhaDmyu6M

— JASWANTH_TECHY (@jaswanth_90) April 21, 2024

How is Google Wallet different from Google Pay?

But first a quick history lesson.

Google Wallet was launched back in 2011 as the company’s first attempt to offering digital payments. Then in 2015, the company launched Android Pay (now Google Pay) to give users access to payment features, such as paying bills, that Google Wallet couldn’t. Three years later in 2018, Google announced that it would bring together all the different ways to pay with Google, including Android Pay and Google Wallet, into a single brand: Google Pay. However, earlier this year Google had a change of heart (again) and it announced that Google Wallet will replace Google Play in the US.

So, what’s the difference, really?

Google Pay app in India lets users make UPI-based payments. Users can send and receive money and pay their utility bills, purchase tickets and make payments to supported platforms using Google Pay. Google Wallet, on the other hand, brings support for making NFC based payments using stored cards. Google Wallet users can also store a copy of their digital documents and their car keys in Google Wallet. In reports are to be believed, Google Pay and Google Wallet will co-exist in India.

How to set up Google Wallet?

Step 1: Download Google Wallet app on your Android phone from Google Play.

Step 2: Open the Google Wallet app and log in using your Google account.

Step 3: If you are a first time user, you will be asked to add a card. Use your phone’s camera to scam a debit or credit card. Alternatively, you can also add all the details manually.

You can also add other passes and documents in the app.