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(Update: now official) India to get Google Play Store carrier billing
July 04, 2025
Update, May 5:Google India confirmed in ablog postthe availability of carrier billing for customers of Idea Cellular. Users will be able to buy apps, games, and books from the Indian Play store and pay with Idea credit. Any purchases will be labeled as “Google Play purchases” and both pre-paid and post-paid customers can join in the fun.
Original post, May 3:In the west, paying per purchase forGoogle Play Storetransactions feels very fluid and natural. However, it’s a different fiscal landscape in India. There are over 1 billion mobile phone users in the nation, but when you stack that up against the 25 million active credit cards and 645 million debit cards, suddenly the digital transaction dilemma becomes clear. Google has previously tried to breathe life into the Play Store by distributing gift cards, but this has seen limited success. This weekIdea Cellular, India’s third largest carrier, is partnering with Google to makecarrier-billed Google Play Store transactionsa reality.
This isn’t the first instance of Idea using carrier billing for digital transactions. The company previously partnered with Microsoft in 2014 to make this functionality accessible in the Windows Phone Store. It’s expected that Google will be interested in expanding carrier-billed transactions to other Indian carriers in the future.
What are your thoughts regarding carrier-billed transactions? Would you like to simply pony up for your digital purchases at the end of the month, or do you prefer paying for each item as you buy them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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