Google launches an array of India-specific apps, services
NEW DELHI: Google India announced a slew of India-first products and features at the third edition of its annual ‘Google for India’ event.
Customised specifically for Indian conditions and needs, these include two-wheeler navigation in Google Maps, bill pay in payments app Tez, Android Oreo (Go edition) to improve the experience on low-end phones, new apps like Google Go and Files Go that are built from scratch, and Google Assistant for the Jiophone that brings the benefits of the Assistant to first-time internet users.
“The India-first suite of products and features are aimed to help more people discover how the internet can make life easier and more convenient. These products and features are Indiafirst, but they are not India-only,” said Caesar Sengupta, vice-president of Next Billion Users, Goomore gle’s initiative to connect all Indians to the internet.
Google’s payments and commerce app Tez, which the company launched in September, will offer a customised experience to pay bills from within the app. Not only will users be able to pay their utility bills, the app will also remind users when a bill is due, track payments and store payment history so that users will never pay the same bill twice.
Sengupta said Tez will support than 70 billers (both national and state providers), including utilities and direct-tohome service providers like BSES, Tata Power, Dish TV etc. Once users pay a bill on Tez, they will never have to add the billing organisation again. The bill pay feature will start rolling out gradually over the next month. Tez has 12 million daily active users and has processed 140 million transactions in about 10 weeks, with 70% of all UPI transactions being driven by the app.
Another India first product launched at the event was the two-wheeler mode in Google Maps. Two-wheeler mode in Maps gives routes that use shortcuts not accessible to cars. It also provides customised traffic and arrival time estimations.
Additionally, the company rolled out its Google Assistant in both English and Hindi for the Reliance Jiophone. This is the first time globally that the virtual assistant will be available on a feature phone.