No Smartphone? No Problem! PhonePe Rolls Out UPI for Feature Phone Users

Image Source: Cashify

PhonePe is about to make life easier for millions of people who use basic feature phones. The company is launching a new UPI payment app designed specifically for these devices, hoping to help more Indians join the digital payments movement—even if they don’t have a smartphone.

Here’s what’s happening:

The new app will let feature phone users send and receive money, pay merchants using QR codes, and receive payments through their mobile numbers or personal QR codes.

This is built on the UPI 123PAY system, which is meant for phones without internet access. So, even if someone doesn’t have a data connection, they’ll still be able to make digital payments.

India still has a huge number of feature phone users—over 200 million—and many of them haven’t had easy access to UPI so far. PhonePe’s move could bring digital payments to a whole new group of people.

The app will work with both feature phones and smartphones, so users can send money to anyone, regardless of what kind of phone they have.

PhonePe’s CEO, Sameer Nigam, said this is about making financial services available to everyone, not just those with the latest technology.

The company already has a massive user base and supports millions of merchants, so this new feature could make a big difference in how people pay and get paid, especially in smaller towns and rural areas.

The rollout is expected in the coming months, and the app will include all the basic UPI features right from the start.

Source: Times of India, Business Standard, The Hindu Business Line, CNBC-TV18, Economic Times