Krux
February 21, 2026
PhonePe Lets You Pay Friends Just By Talking
Published: February 21, 2026 at 3:43 AM
Updated: February 21, 2026 at 3:43 AM
100-word summary
PhonePe just launched AI-powered voice and text search built on Microsoft Foundry, letting its 650 million users skip menus entirely. Say "Pay Hemanth 20 rupees" and it auto-selects the contact, or ask "Gold price" to jump straight there. The feature uses intent-based routing instead of traditional navigation, understanding what you want and taking you there instantly. It runs on a hybrid on-device and cloud model, keeping your transaction data locked within PhonePe's environment. Rolling out in phases across India via the search bar, help center, and history tab, it signals a shift toward conversational interfaces in fintech.
What happened
PhonePe just launched AI-powered voice and text search built on Microsoft Foundry, letting its 650 million users skip menus entirely. Say "Pay Hemanth 20 rupees" and it auto-selects the contact, or ask "Gold price" to jump straight there. The feature uses intent-based routing instead of traditional navigation, understanding what you want and taking you there instantly. It runs on a hybrid on-device and cloud model, keeping your transaction data locked within PhonePe's environment.
Why it matters
Rolling out in phases across India via the search bar, help center, and history tab, it signals a shift toward conversational interfaces in fintech.