Google has made an intriguing move and is now allowing Android users to make Play store purchases by billing their PayPal account.

While PayPal is a widely popular way of paying for things online, the move is intriguing because Google is enabling a service that rivals its own Google Wallet. Nevertheless, Google seems to be well-aware that many users rely on their PayPal accounts to make most, if not all of their online purchases whenever possible. Google Wallet may be an alternative worth taking into consideration, but the older and more established PayPal is definitely more popular worldwide.

Despite the obvious competition, giving users more choices will likely help Google boost its app ecosystem. The new PayPal payment option for Google Play content is now live in a number of countries across the world, including the U.S., Canada, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. More countries are expected to follow afterwards, but this is a pretty good start.

"We're making it possible for people to choose PayPal for their Google Play purchases in 12 countries including the U.S., Germany, and Canada. When you make a purchase on Google Play in these countries, you'll find PayPal as an option in your Google Wallet; just enter your PayPal account login and you'll easily be able to make purchases," Google Play Product Manager Ibrahim Elbouchikhi explains in a company blog post.

"Our goal is to provide users with a frictionless payment experience, and this new integration is another example of how we work with partners from across the payments industry to deliver this to the user."

The Google Play store is the main venue for purchasing Android apps, and many users had requested PayPal as a payment option to make the whole process easier. Google's move to finally add this option seems like a win-win for everybody. Users will have more freedom of choice, PayPal will continue to enjoy its great popularity, while Google will still get a small percentage of each transaction completed with PayPal.

It's worth pointing out, however, that users can only purchase apps and digital content from Google Play using PayPal. Products and other services, meanwhile, are not available via PayPal.