Unified Payment Interface, aka UPI, has become the most widely used mode of payment in the country. You can find plenty of sellers with a UPI QR code scanner, and many even have sound boxes. These are small devices with a speaker that alerts the seller whenever a payment is received successfully. Paytm was the first company to introduce sound boxes, but it was soon joined by rival PhonePe. And now, reports suggest Reliance could become the third player to join the club.
Reliance Sound Box for Jio Pay Payments Under Development
A new TechCrunch report has cited a person familiar with the development to claim Reliance has begun testing its own sound box device. To be under testing with a few employees in some of its stores on its campus. This is essentially internal testing, usually done by companies before entering the public testing stage.
The report says Reliance’s sound box device would work for payments made on Jio Pay. This is not surprising as Jio Pay is the UPI payment app from Reliance Jio. It is a similar approach where Paytm and PhonePe’s sound boxes work for payments received on their respective platforms.
Make seamless payments from your mobile in real-time with UPI.#UPI #DigitalPayments #UPIChalega @GoI_MeitY @_DigitalIndia @upichalega @dilipasbe pic.twitter.com/E0KZUhXoXh
— NPCI (@NPCI_NPCI) August 1, 2023
This is pretty much what is known about the Reliance sound box so far. It is hard to say when we can expect the device to become available publicly. It goes without saying that a lot of it would depend on the internal testing feedback and results.
For the uninitiated, sound boxes are small-sized at come with a speaker and Bluetooth connectivity. Whenever a buyer makes a UPI payment to a seller, these boxes play a voice-over when the payment is received successfully. The alert also mentions the amount to help sellers know if the correct amount has been credited to their account. This simple usage and portability of the device have made it quite popular among sellers. A sound box saves both seller and buyer from the hassle of checking transaction details on the smartphone. It is also beneficial for sellers who are not comfortable using smartphones and apps.
As mentioned in the beginning, Paytm was the first platform to introduce sound box devices. Its device comes with a 7-day battery backup, supports 11 regional languages, and is used by more than 60 lakh merchants. While Reliance is working on its first-gen sound box, Paytm recently added two new versions of the device to the lineup.
These are officially called the Pocket Soundbox and Music Soundbox. The first device is so portable that it can be carried in one’s pockets with 4G connectivity, a 5-day battery life, and a torch. The second device comes with the additional functionality of playing songs by connecting a phone via Bluetooth.
