New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) In a key development, Google Pay on Thursday announced that its portable speaker SoundPod will be available for small merchants across India over the coming months.

Last year, the company introduced its SoundPod product in a limited pilot.

It is an audio device that helps merchants track QR code payments with audio alerts when a payment is received.

“Participating merchants have shared positive feedback, noting it reduces checkout time,” said Ambarish Kenghe, Vice President - Product, Google Pay.

“We’re pleased to announce SoundPods will be available for small merchants across India over the coming months, bringing considerable ease and convenience to millions of SMBs,” Kenghe added.

Paytm currently leads the portable speaker market and PhonePe is also expanding its portable speaker device.

In January, Google Pay announced a collaboration with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) to make UPI payments possible from outside India and to facilitate the adoption of UPI-like frameworks in countries beyond the country.

Google Pay was launched in India in September 2017.

“Even as our approach evolves in other countries, including recent changes specific to the U.S., there is no bearing on how the Google Pay app functions for users and merchants in India,” said the company.