Google is notorious for discontinuing its apps and services, prompting the creation of dedicated websites and social media projects to track its closures. Now, Google is shutting down Google Pay, a widely-used payment platform. Here’s what you need to know.
Google announced on its blog that Google Wallet will take over from Google Pay, which will stop working in the US as of June 4, 2024. Users outside the US, where Google Pay is popular, need not be concerned.
US-based Google Pay users have plenty of time to transfer their balances to their bank accounts, even after the app discontinues. Google will enable money transfers from the Google Pay website beyond the app’s cessation.
Although the decision seems reasonable, I’m curious if Google plans to introduce Google Wallet in countries like India and Singapore, where Google Pay boasts millions of users. There have been hints in Android’s code suggesting Wallet’s potential launch in India, initially noticed by X user @AssembleDebug.
Regardless, if Google proceeds with discontinuing Google Pay in India and encourages users to transition to Wallet, it would entail integrating Google Pay UPI into Wallet, presenting its own set of challenges.
Therefore, I speculate Google will maintain Google Pay in India and potentially introduce Google Wallet for contactless payments, along with support for ID cards through Digilocker.
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