u/TheShyXtrovert

​

• Long term users preferred for YouTube + Music Premium

• INR 75/month via UPI only

• Billed in India

• 1 slot available

• Long term users preferred for YouTube + Music Premium

• INR 75/month via UPI only

• Billed in India

• 1 slot available

• Long term users preferred for YouTube + Music Premium

• INR 75/month via UPI only

• Billed in India

To be delivered near Sikandarpur/Sec 28.

Having a craving, don't wanna spend much. Do you have any recommendations for items/restaurants where I can get something tasty under INR 150 right now?

I own a Google Pixel with NFC and I simply want to use my debit and credit cards for tap-to-pay payments.

That's it.

I don't want to use UPI.

I don't want to link my bank account.

I don't want to register on G Pay.

I just want to add my cards to my phone and use NFC payments, exactly like users in many other countries can do through Google Wallet.

But in India, Google has made the bizarre decision to remove card onboarding from Google Wallet and force users to use Google Pay (G Pay) instead.

This makes absolutely no sense.

Google Wallet is literally supposed to be the place where you store cards, passes, tickets, IDs, transit cards, and payment methods. Yet in India, the Wallet app cannot even perform the most basic wallet function: adding a debit or credit card for tap-to-pay.

If you're in the US, Europe, Australia, Singapore, and many other countries, you open Google Wallet, add a card, and you're done.

In India?

• Install G Pay.
• Register for G Pay.
• Go through the setup process.
• Add your card there.
• Only then can you use tap-to-pay.

Why?

Not everyone uses UPI.

Not everyone wants another payment app installed.

Not everyone wants card payments and bank-account-based UPI payments mixed together in one app.

Some of us just want Google Wallet to function like an actual wallet.

What's even more frustrating is the impact this has on Android smartwatch users.

People who own devices like a Pixel Watch or other Wear OS smartwatches should be able to enjoy one of the most convenient features of the ecosystem: tap-to-pay directly from their wrist.

In countries where Google Wallet fully supports cards, users can add multiple cards, switch between them seamlessly, and pay with their watch in seconds. It's one of the flagship convenience features of the platform.

But in India, because Google chose not to support card management inside Google Wallet, smartwatch users are left with a crippled experience. A major feature that exists elsewhere in the Android ecosystem is either unavailable, limited, or unnecessarily dependent on G Pay's India-specific implementation.

The hardware supports it.

The software supports it globally.

Google Wallet supports it in many countries.

The banks already support tokenized card payments.

Yet Indian users are treated differently because of a product decision.

The most frustrating part is that this doesn't even appear to be a technical limitation. Google already manages payment credentials through its Wallet and Play Services infrastructure. If a card added in G Pay can be used throughout Google's payment ecosystem, then there is no obvious reason why Google Wallet India cannot simply offer the same "Add Card" option that exists in other countries.

Google doesn't even have to remove the feature from G Pay.

Just give users a choice.

Allow cards to be added from Google Wallet.

Allow cards to be added from G Pay.

Let both apps access the same tokenized cards, just like they already do through Google's backend systems.

At the very least, Google should:

1. Allow debit and credit cards to be added directly from Google Wallet in India.
2. Keep support in G Pay if they want, but stop forcing users to install it.
3. Let users choose whether they want Wallet, G Pay, or both.
4. Bring feature parity with the Google Wallet experience available in other countries.
5. Enable the same seamless phone and smartwatch tap-to-pay experience that users already enjoy globally.

Right now, Indian users are getting a reduced and fragmented experience compared to the rest of the world. Pixel owners, Android users, and smartwatch users are all missing out on features that their devices are fully capable of supporting.

A wallet app that can't add payment cards is not really a wallet.

Why is Google forcing Indian users to install G Pay just to use NFC card payments

I own a Google Pixel with NFC and I simply want to use my debit and credit cards for tap-to-pay payments.

That's it.

I don't want to use UPI.

I don't want to link my bank account.

I don't want to register on G Pay.

I just want to add my cards to my phone and use NFC payments, exactly like users in many other countries can do through Google Wallet.

But in India, Google has made the bizarre decision to remove card onboarding from Google Wallet and force users to use Google Pay (G Pay) instead.

This makes absolutely no sense.

Google Wallet is literally supposed to be the place where you store cards, passes, tickets, IDs, transit cards, and payment methods. Yet in India, the Wallet app cannot even perform the most basic wallet function: adding a debit or credit card for tap-to-pay.

If you're in the US, Europe, Australia, Singapore, and many other countries, you open Google Wallet, add a card, and you're done.

In India?

• Install G Pay.
• Register for G Pay.
• Go through the setup process.
• Add your card there.
• Only then can you use tap-to-pay.

Why?

Not everyone uses UPI.

Not everyone wants another payment app installed.

Not everyone wants card payments and bank-account-based UPI payments mixed together in one app.

Some of us just want Google Wallet to function like an actual wallet.

What's even more frustrating is the impact this has on Android smartwatch users.

People who own devices like a Pixel Watch or other Wear OS smartwatches should be able to enjoy one of the most convenient features of the ecosystem: tap-to-pay directly from their wrist.

In countries where Google Wallet fully supports cards, users can add multiple cards, switch between them seamlessly, and pay with their watch in seconds. It's one of the flagship convenience features of the platform.

But in India, because Google chose not to support card management inside Google Wallet, smartwatch users are left with a crippled experience. A major feature that exists elsewhere in the Android ecosystem is either unavailable, limited, or unnecessarily dependent on G Pay's India-specific implementation.

The hardware supports it.

The software supports it globally.

Google Wallet supports it in many countries.

The banks already support tokenized card payments.

Yet Indian users are treated differently because of a product decision.

The most frustrating part is that this doesn't even appear to be a technical limitation. Google already manages payment credentials through its Wallet and Play Services infrastructure. If a card added in G Pay can be used throughout Google's payment ecosystem, then there is no obvious reason why Google Wallet India cannot simply offer the same "Add Card" option that exists in other countries.

Google doesn't even have to remove the feature from G Pay.

Just give users a choice.

Allow cards to be added from Google Wallet.

Allow cards to be added from G Pay.

Let both apps access the same tokenized cards, just like they already do through Google's backend systems.

At the very least, Google should:

1. Allow debit and credit cards to be added directly from Google Wallet in India.
2. Keep support in G Pay if they want, but stop forcing users to install it.
3. Let users choose whether they want Wallet, G Pay, or both.
4. Bring feature parity with the Google Wallet experience available in other countries.
5. Enable the same seamless phone and smartwatch tap-to-pay experience that users already enjoy globally.

Right now, Indian users are getting a reduced and fragmented experience compared to the rest of the world. Pixel owners, Android users, and smartwatch users are all missing out on features that their devices are fully capable of supporting.

A wallet app that can't add payment cards is not really a wallet.