Google has introduced a new mobile payments and commerce app to India. Labelled Tez, the new app gives users a simple and secure way to pay for goods or services, online or offline.

India now has more than 300 million smartphone users and rapidly improving connectivity, making the internet a daily part of life for many Indians, Google noted. However, cash still remains king in India, with smartphones often going unused when it comes to payments.

Google said it aim was to build a product that could compete with cash – in terms of simplicity, affordability and usability. The Tez app is built on top of the country’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) standard, and features:

• Direct bank-to-bank payments, using UPI for instant and secure payments, directly to and from bank accounts.
• ‘Cash mode’ for nearby transactions, to pay nearby without sharing private details like bank account or phone number.
• Tez Shield, which is backed by Google’s expertise in data security, and works 24/7 to help detect fraud, prevent hacking and to verify and protect the identities of users.
• Tez for Business, a programme for large and small enterprises to connect with consumers inside the Tez app to make payments, share redeemable offers, products and updates.

Tez uses a customer’s contact list to avoid adding beneficiaries or remembering complicated bank numbers. Google said this makes sending money to family across the country, paying a landlord, or splitting a bill with a friend a simple and fast process. Transaction history with each person or business is grouped together like a conversation, to make the experience feel more natural and more engaging, the internet giant added.

Tez is now available on Google Play and the App Store.

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