Google will soon let users pay for app purchases in the Play Store through cash

Google offers a number of payment options to let you pay for app purchases on the Play Store — credit card, debit card, vouchers and net banking. The tech giant has now launching “pending transactions” — a delayed form of payment which offers users different ways to pay, which does not require you to have access to a credit card or any other traditional form of online payment. This new option essentially lets Android users choose an alternative payment method at checkout when paying for an application or an in-app purchase. On selecting the alternative option, the user receives a payment code which they can use to pay for their purchase using cash at a nearby store. [caption id=“attachment_6600001” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Google Play Store. Image: tech2[/caption] Once at the store, the user shows the payment code to the cashier and pays (you do have the option of paying through a credit/ debit card). On completing the transaction, the user will receive confirmation of their purchase and an email with their proof of payment. Google does note that this confirmation can take up to 48 hours at times. As per a report by TechCrunch though, refunds don’t work the same way. Those happen only by way of Play Store credits. Speaking at the Google I/O, the Director of Engineering responsible for the Play Store and Games on Google Play, Aurash Mahbod said, “We know that emerging markets are a key area of growth for you all, which is why we’re excited to announce pending transactions.” “This is a new class of delayed form of payment – like cash, bank transfer and direct debit,” he explained. The reason he says this is because Google’s research reveals that the lack of access to credit is one many reasons why users in emerging markets (like India) gravitate towards free-to-play and ad-supported games and apps. ‘Pending Transactions’, the company believes, will help change that.