Google Phases Out Android Pay, Introduces ‘Google Pay’

Google is phasing out its Android Pay service on mobile devices starting this week, as it consolidates its payment services under the Google Pay brand.

Google Pay allows users to make transactions in ways that don’t necessarily involve a device, such as carrying out PayPal-like purchases on websites.

The shift will also see the Google Wallet service, which allows individuals to send or receive funds, become part of Google Pay “within the next few months”.

For now, the Android Pay and Google Wallet apps have been superseded by one app called Google Pay and another called Google Pay Send.

‘Fresh coat of paint’

The Google Pay app is a rebranded version of Android Pay, with new features including a new home page and cards page. The new home page shows a personalised list of nearby shops that accept Google Pay, along with a list of recent purchases.

Google Pay Send is simply Google Wallet with “a fresh coat of paint”, Google said in a blog post. The company said it plans to add Google Pay Send’s features to the main Google Pay app within the next few months for users in the UK and the US.

Services such as Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay allow users to store information for making payments, loyalty schemes and transit networks in their mobile device and access those systems with the gadget’s contactless features, eliminating the need to juggle multiple cards.

Google’s system works on the London Underground, for instance, and is also compatible with transit systems in Kiev and Portland, Oregon.

London’s transport system also supports Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. Samsung’s version can even function while the device is switched off, unlike the other two.

Google Pay also allows individuals to use the same information stored in their Google account to make online transactions.

Google said it’s making an API available to web developers that lets them accept Google Pay while still making use of existing payment processors such as Stripe or Braintree.

Google said it’s planning to integrate Google Pay into all its products, including the Chrome browser and the Google Assistant voice-activated artificial intelligence.

Put your knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) to the test. Try our quiz!