Your Digital Pocket: Google Wallet app debuts in India with support for passes, tickets; All you need to know

Google launched its Wallet app in India, aiming to provide users with a digital solution for storing various passes and tickets conveniently. This move comes as a part of Google's efforts to enhance its services in the country. The Google Wallet app is designed to hold a variety of items, including boarding passes, loyalty and gift cards, event passes, car keys, and transit tickets. Moreover, it can digitize certain physical documents for easy access.

In India, the Google Wallet app will operate alongside the existing Google Pay app. While Google Pay handles payments through the NPCI's UPI network and supported bank cards, the Wallet app focuses on organizing passes and tickets.

The app was officially unveiled during a launch event, and it will be available for download on Android smartphones via the Google Play store in India. Screenshots from last month hinted at the app's features, including support for storing and displaying various types of tickets and passes.

Google wallet now officially launched in India 🇮🇳

Ek device mai payment card option hai aur dusre device mai nahi hai#GoogleWallet pic.twitter.com/WrUr0QsbN9

— Amit Behal (@amitbehalll) May 8, 2024

Google has partnered with over 20 companies in India, including popular names like PVR, Inox, Air India, Flipkart, and MakeMyTrip. These partnerships enable users to add movie tickets, event passes, and transit cards to their Wallet app.

Expanded access to flight tickets

Users can add mobile boarding passes for Air India and Air India Express flights through platforms like MakeMyTrip and Ixigo. Additionally, transit cards for services such as Kochi Metro and Hyderabad Metro are supported.

Find all your essentials in one place on your Android phone with Google Wallet 🤳

Download the app from Play Store to find your boarding passes, loyalty cards, metro cards, and more…safe and secure, even without internet ♥️

🔗 Learn more: https://t.co/oauBdjK6Sc pic.twitter.com/SsaKyKzFFR

— Google India (@GoogleIndia) May 8, 2024

The app allows users to scan physical documents like luggage tags and parking receipts using QR codes or barcodes. Corporate badges can also be added, thanks to partnerships with integrators like Wavelynx and Alert Enterprise.

Smart personalization

With smart personalization settings enabled, the Wallet app automatically retrieves and displays tickets for events like IPL matches and movies, based on confirmation emails received in Gmail. Users can access digital versions of loyalty cards for popular retailers like Flipkart, Dominos, and Shoppers Stop through the Wallet app.

Distinct from Google Pay

While the Google Wallet app offers an array of features for managing passes and tickets, Google Pay remains the go-to app for UPI payments and contactless transactions using supported bank cards in India.