Google’s Tez payments app now lets users handle their utility bills and more

Google’s Tez payment service in India has got a major update that allows users to pay their utilities and other bills via the app.

The service was launched last September for iOS and Android and it initially allowed for payments between bank accounts using India’s UPI (Unified Payments Interface) protocol. Now the app has gotten support to pay for bills from more than 80 organizations — including national/state electric, gas and water, and TV/internet services — with more to come soon.

In the case of recurring bills, the app will send a notification when a new payment is due and fetch the bill. The app also lists previous bills paid, and it supports multiple accounts.

“We’ve designed bill payments to be the most convenient way to manage life’s expenses, so you can pay right from your bank account in just a few taps. We can’t wait for you to try it out and see how much time you save,” Google wrote in a blog post.

Tez clocked 12 million users in December, just three months after launch, but Google has yet to provide an updated figure.

The bill payment feature comes at an opportune time. WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging app used by over 200 million people in India, began rolling out peer-to-peer payments in the country with the potential to massively disrupt the status quo. India is WhatsApp’s largest single country based on users, and the payment feature has been a year in the making prior to its release.

Tez, a far more modest arrival, has also made waves, and this new update is one that is likely to make it hugely useful. Others in the field, include Paytm and MobiKwik, already include bill payment, peer-to-peer transfers and more.

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