Apple Pay is now available in India. Apple announced the launch on 30 September, starting with Visa and Mastercard credit cards issued by Axis Bank. It works on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, and Apple says Mac support is coming soon.

What works at launch

For now, only Axis Bank credit cards are supported, on both the Visa and Mastercard networks. Cards can be added through the latest version of the Axis Bank app or directly in the Wallet app. In shops, Apple Pay works at contactless (NFC) terminals, and Apple lists launch merchants including its own stores, Blinkit, Croma, Reliance brands, Tata 1mg and Zomato. Apple says it has worked with payment service providers such as Razorpay, Paytm, PayU, Pine Labs and Juspay to bring Apple Pay to their merchant networks, with more merchants and apps to follow.

Apple is pitching the launch on convenience as much as privacy. According to the company, in-store payments need no PIN and no one-time password (OTP) at checkout. As elsewhere, the card number is not stored on the device or on Apple’s servers; each card is given a Device Account Number held in the Secure Element.

A long wait, and a narrow start

India has been one of the most conspicuous gaps in Apple Pay’s coverage, which Apple now puts at more than 90 countries and regions. AppleInsider notes that Apple’s interest in launching there dates back to 2017, and that tighter card-payment rules introduced in 2022 complicated those plans.

The launch is deliberately narrow: one bank, credit cards only. Apple’s announcement does not mention debit cards or other issuers, and everyday payments in India are dominated by UPI, the country’s real-time bank transfer system. How quickly more banks sign up will decide whether Apple Pay becomes a real alternative there or remains a niche option for Axis Bank customers.

Apple Music reaches four more countries

On the same day, Apple Music became available in Albania, Brunei, Burkina Faso and Pakistan, The Apple Post reported. That takes the service to 172 countries and regions, more than 11 years after it launched in over 100 countries in June 2015. Apple has not said why those four markets took so long.