Google, Apple and Samsung, besides being big on smartphones, have another product in common and relevant for India: payments. Google’s latest launch – a payment API – underlines the growing importance of smartphones as the primary platform for digital transactions, one that ties in well with India’s move to a less-cash economy.
Last week, Google announced its payment API (application programming interphase), which opens up all smartphones based on its Android operating system to online payments, allowing in-app or online purchases using debit or credit cards linked to one’s Google account.