Google Soundpod takes on paytm and PhonePe POS machines: Plans, Price, and more

I feel that Google Pay and Paytm are two of India’s biggest used finance apps. Every time we need to make even the smallest payments, we look out for these apps.

Isn’t that so? After we made the payments, the sound boxes kept with the merchant announcing that our payments had been successful. Paytm has even incorporated Mr. Amitabh Bacchans’s voice, I really find it amusing.

You might have seen Paytm or PhonePe sound boxes but not Google. Well, Google has arrived at a solution of its own to fill up that gap. Back in 2023, Google had introduced its SoundPod. It was released as a limited pilot but now Google is ready to push it out in the market and will be available to merchants as confirmed by Google itself.

Ambarish Kenghe, Vice President of Products at Google, said in a blog post, “We’re pleased to announce SoundPods will be available for small merchants across India over the coming months, bringing considerable ease and convenience to millions of SMBs.”

This is a part of Google’s bigger financial plans of promoting UPI not only in India but also in other countries. Kenghe said in the same blog post, “UPI’s hallmark of seamless interoperability between all elements of the financial system has redefined possibilities not just for India, but equally for the world. In January, we announced a collaboration 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.”