Google Pay SoundPod: Here is everything about Paytm Soundbox alternative

Google Pay SoundPod is an audio device that helps merchants track QR code payments with audio alerts when a payment is received

After introducing it in a limited pilot, Google is ready to roll out the SoundPod to merchants across India in coming months. Powered by Google Pay platform, SoundPod is an audio device that helps merchants track QR code payments with audio alerts when a payment is received. Google Pay in a press note stated that it has received positive feedback from participating merchants and thus has decided to make the product available widely.

Other fintech platforms such as Paytm and PhonePe have similar devices for merchants. Paytm was the first company to launch audio-based confirmations with Paytm Soundbox in 2019.

READ: Google to make Pixel in India by next quarter, plans to ship 10 mn phones

In related news, Google has decided to simplify payments on its platform in the US by discontinuing the Google Pay app in the region with most features moving over to the Google Wallet app. The US-related announcement, however, will have no bearing on how Google Pay functions for users and merchants in India, said Ambarish Kenghe, Vice President-Product at Google Pay. “To be able to play a role in India’s digital payments story is a matter of deep pride for us, providing invaluable lessons on how digital transformation happens in tech-forward societies, and we continue to stay deeply invested in this journey for the long term,” he added.

Last month, Google Pay collaborated with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) to make UPI payments possible from outside India and to facilitate the adoption of UPI-like frameworks in countries beyond India.