Google has been working hard to upgrade its existing Pay application. Under the new Google Wallet brand, users can store various payment options. The new solution is slowly rolling out globally, although it remains unclear if the technology giant can reclaim lost ground in the mobile payment sphere.
Google Wallet Has Arrived
The transition from Google Pay to Google Wallet may not seem too significant. More specifically, if you haven’t used Google Pay in a while, you may not even recall how payments used to work. That said, Google’s goal is to make things more straightforward for consumers. That includes supporting various payment methods under the new banner, including gift cards, reward cards, and more.
However, the Wallet app is designed to be so much more. Users can also use it to store event tickets, ID information, and more. The trade-off is how users need to trust the technology giant with all that sensitive information. Google is known as one of the biggest data harvesters in the world. Willingly giving them even more personal information without compensation may not be the best approach.
Google Wallet will eventually replace Google Pay across all Android devices. However, there is an exception in the US and Singapore, where both applications will co-exist. The app is currently rolling out across 39 countries, with a bigger rollout to follow in the coming months. Users do not need to undertake specific action for the upgrade, as it will automatically occur through the Play Store.
It is interesting to see the technology going back to the Google Wallet brand. More specifically, the initial mobile payment solution was launched under that name before rebranding to Android Pay in 2015 and Google Pay in 2018. Sticking to the original name may prove more convenient, as it strengthens the overall Google brand.