Google seems to be taking the flourishing digital wallet market more seriously than ever, rebranding Android Pay as Google Pay at the beginning of the year, killing off Google Wallet to minimize confusion, and most recently lumping Tez into the company’s main platform for online payments as well.
When that latest move was announced, the Mountain View-based search giant promised “many of the innovations and features” pioneered in India would eventually be expanded to other countries.
Well, you may want to hold on to your hats, as QR code payments, which were previously exclusive to the India-focused Tez service, might indeed come to other regions soon enough.
Granted, this is not exactly an innovative feature that will help Google Pay stand out from rivals like Samsung Pay or close the popularity gap to Apple Pay. In fact, the QR (Quick Response) code system is significantly older, less reliable and secure than the NFC (near-field communication) technology that will remain at the core of Google Pay.
But it’s always nice to have options, and as long as you understand certain risks associated with its use, the QR functionality is likely to make life easier for folks with older, humbler Android phones.
Peer-to-peer Google Pay transactions, which are still a fairly new thing for the platform, will probably support QR code technology in a simple and convenient way. In a nutshell, you’ll be able to scan a QR code to “easily transfer money to a person nearby” instead of using NFC, according to a screenshot shared on Twitter by an increasingly reliable coder and leaker.
This doesn’t appear to be live just yet, and Google never explicitly mentioned QR scanning when teasing the global arrival of various Tez-first features. But it’s probably only a matter of time now.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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