Several Reddit users have reported receiving unexpected credits to their Google Pay accounts, with some accounts receiving as much as $1,072 (roughly Rs 88,000). Users on the /r/GooglePixel subreddit were notified that they were receiving the money for 'dogfooding the Google Pay remittance experience'.
The term "dogfooding" refers to when a company's employees test a new feature or service before making it available to the public. This suggests that Google accidentally sent out cash to random users for "testing" Google Pay features instead of paying their employees who actually tested them. There seems to have been a glitch that caused this issue. Some users in US claimed that they were contacted by Google via email after the amount was credited. This glitch has impacted users in the United States and so far, there are no instances of any impact on Indian users.
It's unclear how many users have received these accidental credits, but some are reportedly getting only a modest amount, while others see their balance increase by over $1,000. In response to the issue, Google informed the affected users that they would attempt to reverse the payment. However, if they are unable to do so, it seems the cash is theirs to keep.
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It is still unclear why Google had sent out these accidental credits. It's also unknown if this issue is limited to Google Pixel users or if it affects other Android devices as well.
If you happen to be one of the lucky Pixel users who received a free credit, it's unclear whether or not you get to keep the money. However, based on Google's response to the issue, it seems like you may be able to keep the cash if the company is unable to reverse the payment.
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