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Google Pay now lets Las Vegas Monorail riders use phones to board
Google announced today that it's making purchasing and using tickets for the Las Vegas Monorail a little bit simpler. Now, riders will be able to buy tickets online through the Monorail site, save them to Google Pay and then just wave their phone near the fare gate to board. You don't even need to open the app. Once your ticket has been accepted, a blue check mark pops up on your screen and you're good to go.
Google Pay is the new Android Pay
Google recently admitted that Android Pay and Google Wallet probably didn't need to exist as two different services. After a fictional, Highlander-style battle, it was Google Pay that emerged victorious, taking on a new name to define this united brand. And so today, Android Pay becomes Google Pay. The app still does everything you'd expect it to, though there's a new Home tab that puts recent transactions, nearby stores and rewards in one place. The Cards tab, on the other hand, is more a catalog of your payment cards, gift cards, loyalty schemes and offers. Unexpectedly, Google Pay doesn't actually include Google Wallet functionality, meaning you can't use it to send or request money. Not yet, anyway.
LG is launching its mobile payment system in the US this year
LG launched its mobile payment system in South Korea last June and Yonhap News reports LG Pay is finally on its way to the US. The US expansion is reportedly planned for sometime during the first half of this year and might be launched under a new name -- LG Wallet. Android Police actually spotted an LG Wallet app in the Play Store a few days ago, but it has since been removed.
Google Wallet and Android Pay are finally united under one brand
Google's payment strategy has been more than a little confusing. It originally offered tap-to-pay under the Google Wallet badge, but it moved that functionality to Android Pay while turning Google Wallet into a money transfer service. Thankfully, Google knows it's a mess and is cleaning things up. The search giant is uniting all its payment efforts under a singular Google Pay brand. Whether you're tapping your phone at the cashier, buying a gift on the web or paying a friend for last night's pizza, you'll see the same name.
Adidas’ first shopping app is also a personalized news feed
It's hard to believe that Adidas hasn't had its own shopping app, considering that we're living in the age of the smartphone. But that's all about to change. Today, the German sportswear giant is introducing its (aptly named) "Adidas" application, which will let iOS and Android users buy products without having to go to their web browser. Adidas says the app is designed to offer an experience tailored for every consumer, based on the type of gear you're into or the sports you play. The main idea is for you to have personalized product recommendations, and the more you use the app with your account, the better it'll be at knowing your taste.
'Pay With Google' makes shopping on Android less of a hassle
As promised, Google is streamlining online purchases made through Android devices by rolling out Pay with Google. The feature lets you use any of the credit or debit cards you've previously logged on the web titan's products (like Chrome, Android Pay, YouTube, or Google Play) to checkout in just a few clicks -- verifying your purchase with a security code or your Android device. That way, you don't have to type in your lengthy card info on a website or app payment form. Instead, Google just sends the merchant your payment details and shipping address from your account.
Tap your phone to withdraw cash from Wells Fargo ATMs
Wells Fargo enabled smartphone-only ATM withdrawals back in March, but the need to punch in both an app-specific code and your PIN partly defeated the convenience of the feature. As of now, though, it's decidedly easier: the bank has enabled NFC access at more than 5,000 of its ATMs across the country. As with Chase, you just have to tap your phone (using Apple Pay, Android Pay or Samsung Pay) and enter a PIN code to start a transaction at a supporting machine. Suffice it to say this is considerably faster than entering two codes just to withdraw some cash.
Android Pay is your new shopping BFF in Taiwan
Google has been bringing Android Pay to new regions in an attempt to expand its limited availability. After landing in the UK last year and in Canada more recently, the mobile payment system has now made its way to Taiwan, where you can use it in places that have contactless payment terminals and to pay for online purchases from local stores. If you're traveling to the country in the near future, it's probably wise to download the app and to link a card in case you run out of New Taiwan dollars and need to pay for some Asian make-up at Watsons or a coffin bread at a restaurant.
Android Pay hits Canada without the support of some major banks
You have to sympathize with Android-loving Canadians. While Apple Pay has been available in the country since 2015, Android Pay has been a no-show -- you've had to pay for your Tim Hortons donuts the old-fashioned way. At last, though, it's here. In the wake of some not-so-subtle clues to the launch (logos have been visible for weeks in some places), Google has started rolling out Android Pay in Canada. It should work anywhere that already offers tap-to-pay shopping, and it'll accept MasterCard, Visa and debit cards from major banks including BMO, CIBC, Desjardins and Scotiabank. Many mobile and web apps will take Android Pay, too. With that said, there are some glaring omissions in support to watch out for.
Google speeds up transactions even without Android Pay
Another small, but significant update from today's I/O event comes courtesy of the Google Ads and Commerce team this afternoon. According to a blog post, the Google Payments API has been simplified to streamline things for users who might be confused about the difference between their Google Wallet, their Android Pay account and whatever cards they have saved in their browser.
Android Pay could use your face to authenticate loyalty programs
It's not that hard to add points to your loyalty cards on Android Pay, but it looks like Google is mulling on an experimental feature to automate the process. 9to5google has torn the latest version of the app apart and found lines of code that hint at a feature called "Visual ID," which authenticates your loyalty points by using facial recognition. Based on the strings the publication found, you'll have to create a "face template" when you activate the feature. Participating stores that have Visual ID cameras installed will then confirm your identity when you walk in. Once the system determines that it's you, and it ascertains your location using Bluetooth, Google will send them your loyalty details.
Android Pay can soon dip into your PayPal account
Now that Android Pay is gaining steam around the world two years after its debut, it's become a convenient way to check out without reaching for your credit or debit card. For people who don't have plastic, however, making use of Android Pay just got a bit easier. That is, if you're a PayPal user in the US. Thanks to an update announced today, you'll soon be able to activate your PayPal account in Android Pay and use it online, in apps and in physical stores.
Android Pay now works with your mobile banking app
You no longer have to use Google's official app if you want to get started with Android Pay's tap-to-buy features. The internet giant has forged partnerships with several financial institutions (currently including Bank of America, BNZ, Discover, mBank and USAA) that let you add cards and use Android Pay from within their mobile banking apps. The tap-to-pay experience should remain familiar, right down to getting notifications whenever you make a purchase.
Android Wear 2.0 was worth the long wait
When Google introduced Android Wear back in 2014, the smartwatch industry was young. The only players worth noting were Pebble, Samsung (with its Tizen-based offerings) and a few other niche options (like Sony's proprietary SmartWatch OS). Google, however, aimed to kick the door wide open with the same approach it had taken with phones: Instead of making both the watch and the software, it would court different hardware manufacturers, cultivating a diverse set of designs along with a robust third-party app ecosystem. Three years later, the bet seems to have paid off. Although it's had to fight off tough competition from the Apple Watch, Android Wear has survived and, according to Google, thrived. "If you compare the holiday season of 2016 with the holiday season the year before, we saw more than 70 percent growth," says Android Wear VP David Singleton (not that that's necessarily saying much). And so with all that success comes time for the second iteration of Google's wearable OS, Android Wear 2.0. It'll be available first on the newly announced LG Watch Style and Watch Sport on Feb. 10th and will roll out to compatible existing hardware in the coming weeks.
LG's Nexus-like Android Wear watches emerge in a leak
For months, rumors have circulated of Google formally launching Android Wear 2.0 with a pair of flagship smartwatches -- not Google-designed, but certainly intended as reference models like Nexus phones used to be. But what will they be like? We might just have an idea -- Evan Blass (of @evleaks fame) claims to have details of the two devices, LG's Watch Sport and Watch Style. Both will reportedly arrive on February 9th alongside Android Wear 2.0 itself. They won't have revolutionary specs, if the leak is accurate, but they will be showcases for what Google's latest wearable software can do.
Samsung Pay won't reach the UK until sometime next year
2016 has been a good year for mobile payments, thanks to the arrival of Android Pay and the majority of big banks adopting Apple Pay. Samsung was also meant to join the party, but the company has confirmed that Galaxy smartphone and Gear smartwatch owners will now have to wait until next year to use its payment service. The Telegraph reports that the launch has been "tied up amid negotiations with banks," a story that some British banking customers are already all too familiar with.
Google readying tap-to-pay for Android Wear smartwatches
Google may finally be ready to bring tap-to-pay to Android Wear, judging by evidence discovered in the Google Play Services version 10.0 by Android Police. Text prompt strings with messages like "Try holding your watch to the terminal again" make it fairly clear that Google is in the late stages of testing the feature. If you have a compatible Android Wear watch (one with an NFC chip), it will let you touch your watch to an NFC-equipped retail terminal to pay for goods.
Sainsbury's finally caves to contactless
No, you haven't gone back in time. We're almost at the end of 2016, and Sainsbury's is just now confirming it'll soon begin accepting contactless payments in stores -- finally coming good on an old promise (sort of). Most Sainsbury's Local spots will have the facility before Christmas, with more locations catching up early next year. It's been a long time coming, but Sainsbury's isn't the only slowcoach. Contactless support in Asda and Tesco stores is far from ubiquitous.
Google Wallet launches a streamlined web app
Google Wallet may have killed off physical debits cards earlier this year, but the service is now making it easier to send and receive money with the card you already have. With the launch of the Google Wallet web app, all you need to accept online payments from friends is a browser and debit card tied to your Google account.
Android Pay is coming to hundreds of thousands more websites
Android Pay will already let you know where it works in the real world, but soon it will be available at hundreds of thousands more places online. Thanks to new partnerships with Visa and Mastercard, Android Pay users will soon be able to zip through online checkouts at any site that already accepts Visa Checkout or Masterpass.
