Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched India’s very own e-wallet app. Dubbed BHIM (short for Bharat Interface for Money), the Government of India-backed app is aimed at promoting country’s move towards becoming a cashless economy. It’s essentially a re-branded version of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) and USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) services.
During the app’s launch, PM Modi said that BHIM will become the world’s biggest wonder in times to come. Though the app is listed as free on the Google Play Store, it seems that it’s not exactly ‘free
Some users have claimed that downloading BHIM app deducted Rs 1.50 from their mobile balance. Not just that, after downloading the app, users have to go through the tedious procedure involving answering numerous technical questions. Once downloaded, it sends a verification number on the user’s smartphone via SMS. As soon as the message is received, Rs 1.50 are deducted from the user’s mobile balance.
PM Modi launches e-wallet app BHIM: 10 things to know Not just that, numerous users have complained that the app doesn’t work as intended. Some users on Google Play Store have complained that even after completing all the necessary steps, transactions failed. BHIM app is claimed to facilitate transactions even when there’s no internet connectivity. But it seems it’s not exactly serving its purpose.
Many of the app users have found it to be ‘a typical government app,’ with a sub-par user interface. It also hangs quite frequently, worsening the user experience even further. Users say that the app is definitely ‘below expectations’.