Google Pay to launch SoundPod for merchants in India after year-long pilot

Mountain View: Google is set to introduce the SoundPod, its wireless speaker designed for verifying payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), to small merchants in India, as announced on Thursday.

After a successful limited trial last year, the company plans to roll out the device in the coming months.

Google Pay's SoundPod will compete with similar offerings from rivals such as PhonePe and Paytm, the latter currently facing Reserve Bank of India (RBI) strictures for non-compliance with multiple rules.

Ambarish Kenghe, Google's VP of Products for Google Pay, shared in a blog post that the SoundPod had received positive feedback during the year-long trial in India. Merchants participating in the trial reported faster checkouts, prompting Google to proceed with the device's broader rollout.

The SoundPod features an LCD screen and a single speaker, supporting 4G connectivity. Equipped with three LED indicators displaying battery, charging, and connectivity status, the device includes menu, volume, and power buttons. While competitors like Paytm offer Soundbox speakers with varying battery life and connectivity options, Google's SoundPod aims to provide merchants with audio alerts for streamlined payment verification.

Although Google has not specified the exact timeline for the SoundPod's availability, it will offer merchants two subscription options. The first includes a one-time fee of Rs. 499, followed by a monthly subscription of Rs. 125. The second option offers an annual subscription priced at Rs. 1,499, waiving the one-time fee. Additionally, merchants processing 400 payments monthly through QR codes will receive a guaranteed Rs. 125 cashback.

With rivals already offering similar audio-based devices to merchants in India, Google Pay aims to enhance the payment experience for small businesses through the SoundPod, catering to the country's growing digital transactions landscape.