Google to roll out new features; From speech-to-text and Hinglish for Gpay, Bill split & more

Google on Thursday announced the addition of a 'Hinglish' language option in Google Pay, a blend of Hindi and English created particularly for Indian consumers, to simplify digital payments further. Today, the software behemoth unveiled new features at a virtual event and provided further details in a blog post.

According to the company, the addition of the second language option attempts to make interactions "more intuitive and natural via Google Pay." Users may now pick from Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telegu.

As Google Pay is also gaining popularity, "Speech to text" capability will allow users to pay directly into another user's bank account via voice input. Users may voice account numbers into the app in Hindi or English to enter the account number, which is then validated with the sender before the payment is initiated.

Another notable feature is Bill Split, which allows customers to split and settle shared bills. Google Pay will also have a 'MyShop' option for micro-entrepreneurs and businesses. The service will be offered to retailers who use the Google Pay for Business app to assist them in "digitising" their operations "their upcoming journey.

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Google unveiled a prototype Google Assistant-enabled, end-to-end vaccination booking procedure in India to drive growth digitally.

The vaccination booking option will be available in eight Indian languages in addition to English and will be available in early 2022. Climate-related elements are also being developed to "help surface timely and crucial information, and safeguard people's safety." Google announced a collaboration with the Central Pollution Control Board to offer the most up-to-date Air Quality Information to Google Search.

It has also collaborated with the Indian Meteorological Department to launch Weather Alerts during severe weather. When severe weather conditions arise, severe weather notifications issued by the IMD will appear in your phone's 'At-a-Glance' section.

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