Google Pay enables Aadhaar-based authentication for UPI activation

UPI Google Pay

Digital payment services app Google Pay has rolled out an additional feature to enable activation of UPI service on the app using Aadhaar number, the company said on Wednesday.

The service will enable Google Pay users to set their UPI PIN without a debit card, but the feature can be used only if mobile phone number, bank account and Aadhaar number are linked to each other.

"With the Aadhaar-based UPI onboarding flow, Google Pay users will be able to set their UPI PIN without a debit card. As UPI scales to the next hundreds of millions of Indian users, this is expected to help many more users set up UPI IDs and enable them to make digital payments," Google Pay said in a statement.

Google Pay will show account activation using debit card and Aadhaar number. The users will have to select anyone of the options.

"We are thrilled to announce UPI activation using Aadhaar-based OTP authentication on Google Pay, bringing simplicity and convenience to our users. Aligned with the government's vision to drive financial inclusion, this feature will further strengthen our efforts to drive deeper penetration for digital payments in India," Google, Director of Product Management, Sharath Bulusu said.