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Google's New Take on Mobile Payments Puts Focus on Developers With Android Pay

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At Mobile World Congress today Senior Vice President of Google Sundar Pichai revealed a handful of new projects the company is working on, including a new mobile payments solution called Android Pay (via The Verge).

Though only spoken of briefly, Pichai mentioned that the new service would take a decidedly more developer-focused route, calling Android Pay a "developer tool" that would give those developers considerable flexibility in how to implement the payments service.

He noted that the service was less a new consumer-level product and more of an "API layer" that will give other developers and companies the chance to build interesting mobile payment solutions on Android platforms.
"We are doing it in a way in which anybody else can build a payments service on top of Android," said Pichai. "So, in places like China and Africa we hope that people will use Android Pay to build innovative services."

Although Pichai did not explain the details of Android Pay to any great degree, he claimed it would "start with NFC" and eventually accommodate biometric sensors as well.
Click to expand...
Google's news follows on the heels of Samsung's own entry into the contactless payment market with Samsung Pay just yesterday. Samsung's offering is set to be baked in to the upcoming Summer release of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones, which will include a fingerprint scanner to help secure mobile payments made on the device, falling far more in line as a direct competitor to Apple Pay than Google's new service.

Samsung is attempting to come out of the gate strong, with the company having already made deals with MasterCard and Visa to support the service and attempting to line up various other companies and banks before the new Galaxy phone launches this summer. The announcement appears to be a direct continuation of Samsung's acquisition of mobile payments-focused company LoopPay earlier in February, setting itself up to battle Apple Pay in the coming months.

Pichai noted during MWC that Android Pay is a bit more malleable of a service, not locking itself onto one specific phone or brand similar to Apple Pay or the upcoming Samsung Pay. He continued that the company doesn't mean to directly compete with Samsung's newly announced mobile payments service, and mentioned that Google wanted to "work closely [together] to see how we can align [with them]."

Article Link: Google's New Take on Mobile Payments Puts Focus on Developers With Android Pay
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/02/google-developers-android-pay/
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Great name! /s

Sigh...so they just couldn't keep the Google Wallet name? Oh okay. You had GW all these years, NOW you finally want to get serious about it?
 
Really interesting approach. I actually like the idea. It fits the whole android ecosystem.

It's great that Apple is getting some competition, that will make the product better overall.

And finally: I don't mind the similaritie in the names, at least the average user will know what he is talking about and won't get confused.
 
It still bothers me that people say apple steals all their ideas from other companies while Samsung and Google are innocent. Then right when apple pay becomes successful other companies follow along and either make a new payment service (Samsung pay) or remake an old one that never caught on (Google wallet). I understand why the other companies are following along I'm just tired of people saying Apple is the only company that comes in second.
 
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nfl46 said:
Great name! /s

Sigh...so they just couldn't keep the Google Wallet name? Oh okay. You had GW all these years, NOW you finally want to get serious about it?
Click to expand...

Google Wallet isn't changing. Did you even read the article? This is a new API for developers to be able to use technologies like NFC/etc to handle payments. Google Wallet will use Android Pay as the backend but nothing will change to the consumer. Android Pay is an open system I would imagine geared toward places like Africa that do not have a lot of payment systems. This would allow new forms of payment to be able to use Android.

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tuslaw12 said:
It still bothers me that people say apple steals all their ideas from other companies while Samsung and Google are innocent. Then right when apple pay becomes successful other companies flow along and either make a new payment service (Samsung pay) or remake an old one that never caught on (Google wallet). I understand why the other companies are following along I'm just tired of people saying Apple is the only company that comes in second.
Click to expand...

To be fair, Android Pay may take the name from Apple Pay but it has little to do with Apple Pay. Android Pay is an API for developers that goes much farther than Apple Pay. I think at some point Apple will open up Apple Pay but at this point, there is little similarity between Apple Pay and Android Pay. Google Wallet and Apple Pay are the competition for direct credit card payments. Android Pay is something different.
 
bozzykid said:
Google Wallet isn't changing. Did you even read the article? This is a new API for developers to be able to use technologies like NFC/etc to handle payments. Google Wallet will use Android Pay as the backend but nothing will change to the consumer. Android Pay is an open system I would imagine geared toward places like Africa that do not have a lot of payment systems. This would allow new forms of payment to be able to use Android.

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To be fair, Android Pay may take the name from Apple Pay but it has little to do with Apple Pay. Android Pay is an API for developers that goes much farther than Apple Pay. I think at some point Apple will open up Apple Pay but at this point, there is little similarity between Apple Pay and Android Pay. Google Wallet and Apple Pay are the competition for direct credit card payments. Android Pay is something different.
Click to expand...

I understand they're different services, however, the point is that Google wallet has been out since 2011 and they didn't even bother really overhauling it until apple pay became a success. While Google had their wallet system first apple actually revolutionized it and made it better both in security and simplicity. And along follows the other companies to make theirs better. Apple isn't always second
 
bozzykid said:
Google Wallet isn't changing. Did you even read the article? This is a new API for developers to be able to use technologies like NFC/etc to handle payments. Google Wallet will use Android Pay as the backend but nothing will change to the consumer. Android Pay is an open system I would imagine geared toward places like Africa that do not have a lot of payment systems. This would allow new forms of payment to be able to use Android.
Click to expand...

Where in that article did it mentioned they will keep the Google Wallet name? Or maybe I overlooked the one posted on this forum?
 
tuslaw12 said:
I understand they're different services, however, the point is that Google wallet has been out since 2011 and they didn't even bother really overhauling it until apple pay became a success. While Google had their wallet system first apple actually revolutionized it and made it better both in security and simplicity. And along follows the other companies to make theirs better. Apple isn't always second
Click to expand...

Google Wallet has gone through numerous changes in the last few years. Some were a response to Apple Pay but many were done well before Apple Pay. I don't think Google needed Apple Pay to exist before it took payments seriously. It just needed better support from phone manufacturers, carriers and payment processors. And Apple Pay has helped Google just by pushing all of those areas.
 
nfl46 said:
Where in that article did it mentioned they will keep the Google Wallet name? Or maybe I overlooked the one posted on this forum?
Click to expand...

It is mentioned in pretty much every article about Android Pay but this one. Even so, the article clearly states this is just an API. It is not a change to Google Wallet.
 
Anybody know if CurrentC was on hand at Mobile World Congress? If they're there, they'll likely be leaving with their tail between their legs. I hope all their retail partners are reading the writing on the wall.
 
This (name)Pay thing is starting to sound like a joke.

At least Samsung, Google and Apple can all work against CurrentC.
 
Aluminum213 said:
Apple isn't exactly known for original ideas also
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Apple has never claimed to be first. They synthesize ideas that are floating around and find a way to improve on those ideas. That in turn allows them to popularize devices that previously hadn't caught on with the general public.
 
jayducharme said:
Apple has never claimed to be first. They synthesize ideas that are floating around and find a way to improve on those ideas. That in turn allows them to popularize devices that previously hadn't caught on with the general public.
Click to expand...

Apple has never claimed to be first. You are very much right in your statement. However, the problem is that there are people who feel Apple was the first one to do some of these new things only because they did it better. While that is pure idiocy, it is the idea that is floating around.
 
My Pay

is

CASH

accepted everywhere, no pins, magnetic strips or NFC needed. Will work without connectivity as well.

Can be used internationally as well without surcharges from VISA and the like.

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Oletros said:
Softpay, secupay, paypal, yap, very original
Click to expand...

Your pic that you use is quite.....disturbing. Cool, though. But made of nightmares.....
 
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