Pay for Android Apps on Play Store With UPI - Here’s How it Works

Android users on mobile can now buy apps without sharing their card details with Google.

Most Android apps on Google Play Store are free.

(Photo: The Quint)

Google’s Android is an open source ecosystem, which is the reason behind its success in a country like India, where people like free stuff.

And just in case users wanted to buy Android apps from the Google Play Store, users could either pay by debit/credit card (added to Gmail account) or use their Google Play balance.

Now, users in India can also pay for apps through the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), which is also available through apps like Google Pay and PhonePe in the country. The feature was first reported by XDA Developers earlier this week and we can independently confirm its availability to mobile users.

Offering UPI as a payment option means the user doesn’t need to share their card details with Google. So, if you’re keen on adding the UPI feature to Google Play Store, follow these steps to get it going.

How to Add UPI As Payment Option on Google Play Store

• Open Google Play store and click on the hamburger menu on the top left
• Select Payment settings where you will see various options available
• Click on Add UPI and register your ID to make payment

(Photo: Google Play screen grab)

And once you click on the Add bank account with UPI ID option, this is the pop up box you’ll see on the phone’s screen.

By adding UPI ID, users don’t need to share their card details.(Photo: The Quint)

UPI now has 141 Indian banks on board and users from those banks can use this mode to purchase apps from the Google Play Store. With millions of users on Android in the country, Google Pay has gained ground over rivals like Paytm and PhonePe since its launch in 2018.