Google India first introduced for Google Play carrier billing only for Idea customers in May. Now, Vodafone and Airtel postpaid users are finally seeing this billing option in their Android smartphones.
Notably, Google had in October announced at its Google Play Time event that Airtel and Vodafone users will also support carrier billing soon.
For purchasing apps, books, movies, and other digital content, Google Play offers many options for Indian users, namely - credit cards, debit cards, netbanking, redeem code, and also direct carrier billing on Idea. However, now in addition to Idea, Airtel and Vodafone users are also seeing the direct carrier billing option.
(Also see: Carrier Billing Is Not Going to Help Indian Game Companies)
With this, users can now buy apps and other digital content from Google Play using their carrier bills. For example, when you buy an app, you'll see the charge on your carrier account after 15 minutes. The Google support page for payments does not reflect Vodafone and Airtel as supported carriers at the time of writing, but has only Idea on the list for now. This feature is live for select users currently, and is presumably trickling down in phases to all compatible users. Only postpaid users are seeing this feature, and there is no clarity on when prepaid users will start receiving it.
For direct carrier billing to work smoothly, check with your carrier to make sure you haven't exceeded the monthly spending limit. Also, ensure that your service plans allow premium content purchases.
Android Police was the first to spot the rollout of the carrier billing option for Airtel and Vodafone postpaid users.
Have you got the direct carrier billing feature on your Android device yet? Let us know your feedback in the comments below.
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