Opening thoughts. Microsoft Corp. has a new CEO for its Xbox division – named Asha Sharma, who has no prior experience in the gaming industry (in case you doubted that).
Sharma started in marketing at Microsoft, then moved to operations at home services startup Porch Group. Next, she ran Facebook Messenger at Meta Platform Inc., served as COO of Instacart Inc. (with IPO), and then returned to Microsoft to lead the CoreAI product. Two years later, she is the CEO of an $18 billion gaming division.
When gaming revenue declined 9% last quarter, hardware sales declined 32%, Game Pass flatlined after reaching 34 million subscribers, and content + services revenue declined 5% during the holidays, it turned to the Xbox business. This is probably his most challenging role yet, but it’s certainly not a good start, as Anyway, nothing about Microsoft surprises me. Not even one bit.
editor’s corner
While cricket is the one thing that keeps me sane on most days (at least until Formula 1 returns, then that’s it), I had to watch the ads for the UPI app Navi more than once, emphasizing the essence of speed, perhaps in aspects of life where speed isn’t exactly appropriate. Anyway, this got me thinking about India’s UPI app landscape.
PhonePe leads with 9,809.97 million transactions ₹13,61,309.94 crore, while Google Pay (7,496.48 million) ₹9,57,752.89 crore) and distant Paytm (1,654.69 million) ₹1,76,846.14 crore) making it the three most popular UPI apps in India.
I noticed that Navi is behind Paytm with 678.28 million transactions ₹35,928.62 crores. Month-on-month, it shows an upward trajectory in both volume and value. It should be noted that the trend among the top players is largely similar.
As a consumer, the UPI space is bursting with options. Some of these names are BHIM, CRED, Amazon Pay, Mobikwik, Tata Pay, Kiwi, and Airtel Payments Bank. There are some challenges, and the answers will depend on when one decides to tackle them.
Zero MDR, or Merchant Discount Rate: The policy of not charging transaction fees (especially on UPI through bank accounts) has seen rapid adoption, but has taken away a sustainable revenue model from banks and fintechs. And speaking of high operating costs, it costs banks an estimated amount to maintain the digital infrastructure for UPI ₹0.80 per transaction, which in a way discourages system upgrades for the sake of reliability.
Fintech Fatigue: Major players like PhonePe have often warned that without a stable monetization structure, the ability of the fintech ecosystem to invest in innovation and fraud prevention may be limited beyond a point.
RuPay cards are not accepted on UPI: In stark contrast, the MDR on transactions done using RuPay credit cards on UPI ranges between 1.1% to 1.9% per transaction. ₹2,000. This must be borne by the merchant, and is why shoppers, businesses and establishments turn it off on their payment terminals. Being used to ‘free’ UPI, this change was always met with resistance. RuPay challenge to MasterCard and Visa will be halted if merchants do not accept UPI payments from RuPay cards.
Tech Spotlight
ultraprolink drivelink
As essential as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto seem to be for in-car infotainment, not every car gets wireless connectivity for either platform. USB cable is the only way to go in most cars, but the problem with this is twofold – constant charging of the phone as long as it’s plugged in, and the inconvenience of having it wired. Over the past few months, wireless adapters have emerged as a viable option.
Indian tech company UltraProLink (known especially for its impressive lineup of charging accessories) has launched its own wireless adapter called DriveLink. ₹2,999. It connects to something I already use – Portronics Tune – as well as options from Ambrane, Lifelong, Zebronics and Otocast.
Key features of the UltraProLink DriveLink are Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto support, Bluetooth 5.4 and Wi-Fi 5.8 GHz. It’s incredibly simple to set up, and the pairing process is a one-time task that takes less than a few minutes.
Importantly, every time you start the car, Wireless CarPlay or Android Auto connects in less than a minute. However, there is no video streaming support, and that’s a plus – we have too many fools anyway to get distracted while watching YouTube videos or JioHotstar shows on their aftermarket music systems.
On DriveLink, music streaming doesn’t suffer at all in quality or fidelity, and importantly, there’s absolutely no lag in operation or response within the CarPlay or Android Auto interfaces on the infotainment system’s touchscreen.
The concern I have about leaving the adapter connected after getting out of the car is how quickly it shuts off. To be on the safe side – physically remove it from the USB port before leaving the vehicle, especially if it’s for a few days in a row.
Leaving the best for last, the most impressive thing about DriveLink is its really compact size – no wider than a fingernail. The Portronics Tune is quite large, like the USB ‘pen drives’ of a few years ago. Overall, the UltraProLink DriveLink is an essential accessory if your car has Apple CarPlay or Android Auto but is wired by default. Looking at you, Hyundai, Kia and many others.
second thought
PhonePe update
A few months ago, the Reserve Bank of India and the National Payments Corporation of India enabled biometric authentication for UPI payments. It allows the user to authenticate UPI transactions using their phone’s fingerprint sensor or facial recognition, instead of punching a PIN every time. This week, this two-factor authentication (2FA) has been adopted by PhonePe.
“By integrating biometric authentication, we are truly taking an important step towards a frictionless payments experience. This feature not only saves time but adds a hardware-grade layer of security that protects users in their everyday environments,” says Deep Agarwal, Head of Payments, PhonePe.
Fintech says up to UPI payments ₹5,000 can be authenticated using fingerprint or facial authentication. For now, PhonePe’s Android app unlocks the feature, and the company says iOS functionality is expected to launch soon.
… … ᴏɴᴇ-ᴛɪᴍᴇ ꜱᴇᴛᴜᴘ.
Currently, the rollout focuses primarily on Android phones with native fingerprint or facial-recognition hardware. The second layer of involvement is from the user’s bank, which must enable biometric verification for that user’s account. And for now, it works for transactions up to ₹5,000—and, and UPI PIN is still required.
Wired Wisdom strips away the glamor to take a closer look at technology and AI, with the hope of critically analyzing how it impacts you, the human. Want this newsletter sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe here.