Since Apple Pay arrived about one year ago, the folks at Google have been playing a bit of catch up. The irony is that Google tried to go first in the world of payments via mobile but had a failure to launch with Google Wallet. Both platforms are honing their payment offerings this September, and for those businesses that accept contactless payments, it’s worth understanding the changes underway.
Hello Apple Wallet, Goodbye Passbook
Passbook was Apple’s first entry into the mobile wallet arena, but did not have any payment capability. So instead of storing credit and debit cards, the app focused on the storage of non-payment items like loyalty cards, coupons, boarding passes, event tickets and membership cards. When Apple Pay arrived on the iPhone 6 last year, Passbook became the home of those associated payment cards. Now that Apple was truly replacing one’s wallet, they decided to retire the name Passbook and call the application Wallet. All capability remains as-is, but a new icon and name will arrive in iOS 9 to re-introduce this to consumers.
Hello Android Pay, Goodbye Google Wallet
Google Wallet has been focused on allowing customers to pay for years, but the limitations imposed by the carriers in the U.S. – combined with limited merchant acceptance – cause major headaches for the users of Google Wallet. Also, the app had to be downloaded from the app store, and only later did it offer non-payment storage of items like a true wallet. These challenges and the buzz around Apple Pay made Google jump and introduce a new app called Android Pay that looks very similar to Apple Pay. Native to the operating system, the app itself will be integrated to every Android phone at version M (Marshmallow) and above. Google Wallet will remain, but only allowing person-to-person payments (no purchases in stores). All else, including loyalty cards, etc., will move to Android Pay.
For questions about payments on mobile devices or payment applications, contact Superior Technology at 845-735-3555 or online at www.superiortechnology.com
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