Android Pay Offically Rolls out

[Bkman2020]

http://www.technobuffalo.com/videos/android-pay-hands-on/

[Kimbo]

C/P

Google has had difficulty figuring out the mobile wallet. Although Google Wallet had been out for years, the service didn’t quite go mainstream, and ultimately fell under the radar as Apple Pay rose to prominence. That didn’t sit well with Google, so the company decided to start from scratch, ultimately introducing Android Pay at I/O earlier this year. What users get is a straightforward service that’s essentially the equivalent to Apple Pay—and that’s not a bad thing at all.

Google’s new service works with all NFC-enabled Android devices running Android 4.4 and up, and on any mobile carrier, too. Just find a tap and pay ready location and you should be good to go. If the cashier looks at you a little strange, don’t worry. The rise of digital wallets is nigh, and with more and more businesses supporting tap and pay solutions, it’s only a matter of time before services like Android Pay and Apple Pay are standard.

If you’ve used Google Wallet or any other competing service, Android Pay will be familiar to use. Just store your preferred cards into the app, and that’s it. These services are designed to be seamless and simple, requiring very little work from the end user. All you do is approach a NFC-equipped terminal, and your phone will do the heavy lifting. We tried it at a vending machine with a Nexus 6, and it couldn’t have been easier to use.

The only real obstacle right now is that many Android phones don’t have fingerprint sensors, so you’ll have to verify purchases with a four-digit PIN; certainly not as easy as using Apple’s Touch ID, but luckily native fingerprint support is coming to Android Marshmallow, which will likely launch next month.

All major credit and debit cards are supported right now, including American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. If you’ve used Google Wallet before, your cards should show up in your account; if you want to enter a new card, you can do so by scanning it, or simply enter in your information manually. You can also enter in gift cards, loyalty cards and membership cards, and use them as you normally would.

Apple currently boasts support for more than 500 U.S. banks as of September, so Android Pay certainly has some catching up to do. Google’s service is slowly rolling out to Android users, and will even come preloaded on Android phones running Lollipop and above.