Google announces ‘Google Pay,’ a merge of Android Pay and Google Wallet
In the past, Google has shied away from making any
announcements during CES. But this year, Google Assistant and Google Pay are
making headlines. The merge is official and taking place now, combining the
likes of Android Pay and Google Wallet into one service under the name Google
Pay. The new single brand will also comprise one’s payment info stored in
Chrome as well as payment info used to pay for items on Google’s Play Store.
This should be a good change and the move makes all the sense in the world, since
there was never really a purpose for having two separate apps in the first
place.
We’re expecting a new Google Pay app to take place of the
current Android Pay and Google Wallet apps. Though unconfirmed, this would be
the best way to combine everything into one payment hub, similar to what we
have for Google’s Home app, which combines Chromecast, Android TV and Google
speakers into one. The Google Pay rollout across stores, apps, and products is
happening now and will continue “over the coming weeks.
With the new system, payment information saved in your
Google account will be available everywhere you use Google products: in Chrome
for web purchases, in YouTube for renewing your subscriptions, in apps on
Android for in-app purchases, and at retail outlets with NFC payments.
According to Google, apps like Airbnb, Dice, Fandango,
HungryHouse, and Instacart already support Google Pay, with more sites and
stores set roll out soon over the coming weeks.
Pali Bhat, VP of Product Management, Payments at Google, said:
Google has been working with some third parties in anticipation for its announcement. It says that the new payment service is already available on Airbnb, Dice, Fandango, HungryHouse, Instacart, and other apps and website. It’s currently running some promotional offers in the U.S. with B&H, Fandango, and Instacart. As mentioned earlier, Google topped off the post with a
rather cryptic message stating that the brand reform is just the first step and
that it can’t wait to share more; what “more” constitutes right now is anyone’s
guess, we’ll just have to see. As an addendum, Google asks users to stay tuned
as it "will also be bringing these experiences to Tez users in
India."