Apple Pay India Launch: This key feature likely to be be missing initially, company in touch with major banks

UPI is widely used in India for everything from online shopping and bill payments to making payments to small merchants.

Written by: Victor Dasgupta Edited by: Victor Dasgupta

Published: August 11, 2026, 3:11 PM IST

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Apple Pay India Launch

New Delhi: American technology giant Apple is likely to launch its payment service, Apple Pay, in India soon. According to the reports, the company is preparing to introduce Apple Pay in India by the end of September or early October 2026. The reports further suggest that the company may launch Apply Pay initially in India with some limited features compared to other countries. There is also a possibility that the service may not support UPI at the time of launch.

Apple in Talks with Indian Banks

The company is in discussions with major Indian banks and financial institutions regarding partnerships to launch Apple Pay in India. It is important to note that before starting the service, the company will have to complete banking integrations and the necessary regulatory processes.

Here are some of the key details:

• Apple may initially allow users in India to add select credit cards operating on the Visa and Mastercard networks to Apple Pay.
• Users will be able to add their supported cards to the Wallet app on their iPhones.
• With the arrival of Apple Pay, users will be able to make payments simply by tapping their iPhones near NFC-enabled POS machines.
• Payments can also be authenticated using Face ID or Touch ID.
• Contactless card payment-enabled POS terminals are already widely available at major retail stores, malls, restaurants and supermarkets across India.
• Apple Pay could eliminate the need for iPhone users to carry a physical credit card.

Lack of UPI Could Be a Challenge

The biggest challenge for Apple Pay in India could be the lack of UPI support. Apple Pay may not offer UPI payments at the time of launch. UPI is widely used in India for everything from online shopping and bill payments to making payments to small merchants. Apps such as Google Pay and PhonePe are also based on UPI. Therefore, if Apple Pay does not support UPI initially, users will not be able to scan UPI QR codes and make payments through the service. They will also not have the option to make direct UPI payments.