Jio launches free 'SoundPay' feature on JioBharat phones; here's what it is

Just like Soundbox offered by fintech players like Paytm and PhonePe for making UPI payments, Reliance Jio has rather announced the rollout of a new feature 'JioSoundPay' in its JioBharat feature phone device. It is a free feature available for 5 crore small-scale merchants, says the company. JioSoundPay will provide merchants with instant, multilingual audio confirmations for every UPI payment, enabling business operations for even the smallest kirana stores, vegetable vendors, and roadside eateries.

"Existing small and micro merchants pay around Rs 125 a month for a sound box. Now, with JioSoundPay being provided FREE, JioBharat users will save Rs 1,500 annually," says Reliance Jio. The new feature rolled out by Reliance Jio could play a spoilsport for the existing fintech players as small vendors with JioBharat phones will get the soundbox feature embedded with the phone for free.

The phone comes with a preinstalled app called JioPay, using which you can make UPI payments. JioBharat phone was launched over a year ago and is the world’s most affordable 4G phone available at only Rs 699, the lowest entry price for an internet-enabled phone. "To commemorate 75 years of India's Republic, Jio presents contemporary renditions of Vande Mataram on JioSoundPay – a soulful tribute that blends timeless melodies with modern musical elements," says the company.

"Jio believes in leveraging technology to empower every Indian," says Sunil Dutt, President, Jio. "With the free JioSoundPay feature on JioBharat and the soulful renditions of Vande Mataram, we celebrate the spirit of India and reaffirm our commitment to building a truly Digital India."

JioBharat, which was launched for those who cannot afford a smartphone, comes with a plan worth ₹123 per month for unlimited voice calls and 14 GB of data.

In terms of specification, a JioBharat phone comes with a 1.77-inch screen, external SD card support up to 128 GB and a 1,000 mAh battery. JioBharat 4G Keypad Phone has a digital rear camera. One also gets access to a wide variety of apps such as JioCinema, JioSaavn, JioPay, and more.

The JioBharat V2 phones come in 2 colours i.e., Ash Blue and Solo Black. The K1 Karbonn is currently available only in the combination of Grey and Red. Users also get JioSaavn preinstalled, with which one gets more than 8 crore songs in 16 regional languages on the JioBharat music keypad phone.