I've been a huge fan of contactless payments, partly because of their convenience, but also because I suddenly look like the coolest dude at the payment checkout counter. What I never liked is how contactless payments have always been treated as an afterthought in India, and rightfully so, because UPI is pretty convenient too.
As an Android user, I've been pretty stoked about Apple Pay's arrival, not because of its cool factor (okay, maybe a little), but because, like any Apple service, you know it will be seamless. Which is a word I think Google despises. And I believe Apple Pay's launch in India will expose how unflattering and messy Google Pay in India is.
My Issue with Google Pay and How Apple Pay Fixes It
My overall outlook on contactless payments was mostly positive until Google Wallet rolled out in India last year. In countries outside of India, Google Wallet includes Google Pay (Cards) and tickets, but the tap-to-pay functionality is missing from Google Wallet in India. Instead, Google Pay is integrated into GPay, which is prominently used for UPI transactions.
Here's the thing. Google Wallet in India is nothing but a glorified ticket holder. It's why Wear OS watches, a platform that I've given up on, can't tap to pay at a register. Wear OS watch buyers in India have been quietly paying a tax on their smartwatch experience for years, and almost nobody's written about why. Although, considering the few users on the platform in India, it's not that surprising.
That's the real contrast Apple's entry is about to make visible. Apple Wallet is one app. It works at any NFC terminal, with any supported card, anywhere Apple Pay is accepted, full stop. Google's version of the same idea is split across two apps that don't talk to each other, are gated by which bank card you have, and are functionally invisible unless you already know to look for them.
Apple isn't bringing something revolutionary to India; it's making things simpler. The worst part is that none of these required Apple to show up. Google could have unified Wallet and GPay's contactless capability at any point in the last five years. It didn't, because part of the reason was that the move may eat up their UPI transaction numbers.
Related Articles
"GPay Already Has It" Isn't the Defence It Sounds Like
The rebuttal that Google Pay already does contactless payments in India is flawed. It defeats the whole purpose of contactless payments in the first place. For starters, GPay's contactless support has always been gated by which bank issued your card and which payment terminal you're standing in front of.
It launched tied to specific banks over Pine Labs terminals, and getting it to work has never been as seamless as UPI QR scanning is. Therefore, in a way, it's like a light switch that exists in a room you're not allowed into most of the time.
Related Articles
-1120w630h.webp "Why Does Every App Look Better on iPhone? The Ugly Truth About Android Design thumbnail")
Apple Pay Doesn't Solve a Big Problem, Google Just Made It Look Like One
There's nothing to reinvent here. GPay's contactless payments exist. All Google needs to do is stop worrying about Google Pay eating away at UPI numbers and just move it to the Google Wallet app. It just needs to exist long enough for people to notice that the "smart" watch on their wrist can't do the one thing a watch should trivially be able to do.
The arrival of Apple Pay probably shouldn't concern GPay at the moment, since it only works with cards, and that too only with Axis Bank. However, Apple recently posted a job opening for a business development manager for Apple Pay. The job description suggests this executive will work on speaking with UPI vendors, hinting that the platform may support UPI payments in the future.
At this time, Apple Pay landing without UPI means it isn't going to move the needle on how Indians pay. Knowing Apple likes to take things slow, it won't happen any time soon.
I also think the problem would transcend beyond software experience. The lacklustre tap-to-pay on Android could potentially shoo users away, leading them to pick up iPhones for added convenience. Now, this group won't be a majority, but these are still Android users moving away from the platform, which is a good thing for Apple.
The bottom line is, Google had years to make that question irrelevant, but it chose not to. Apple Pay's arrival just stops that choice from being invisible, and if not a mass migration-level threat, convenience is a benign choice that people make when their devices can't do the one thing they're supposed to do.
Related Articles
