Tag: google wallet

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Mobile Syrup

Google Wallet comes to Fitbit Sense 2, Versa 4

Fitbit’s latest smartwatches, the Sense 2 and Versa 4, were both slated to get several Google features in post-launch updates. Now, the first Google feature has arrived: Google Wallet.

In a blog post shared on November 15th, Fitbit said it started rolling out Google Wallet to the Sense 2 and Versa 4. If you’ve got one of those Fitbit smartwatches, you should be able to head into the Fitbit app, tap your profile picture in the top-left corner, tap your device, then tap the ‘Wallet’ option. From there, you can add your Google Wallet cards for contactless payment.

The addition means Fitbit users can now pick between Fitbit Pay or Google Wallet, a nice benefit for anyone already using Google Wallet that doesn’t want to run multiple payment apps.

Fitbit also snuck mention of turn-by-turn Google Maps navigation into the blog post, but don’t get excited. The blog post notes that Google Maps is “coming soon” to the Sense 2 and Versa 4, which we’ve known for a while now. It’d be nice to have an official date for those features, but where’s the fun in telling customers exactly when they can expect something.

Oh, and there’s still no Google Assistant support on the Sense 2 and Versa 4, a feature available on previous versions of the smartwatches. That’s a major bummer, although Fitbit couldn’t “confirm or deny” if Assistant would come to the Sense 2 in the future. I won’t hold my breath.

Source: Fitbit

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Mobile Syrup

TD app’s Mobile Payment to shutdown November 1

TD plans to shut down the Mobile Payment service in its mobile app despite still not supporting Google Wallet.

Per an email sent to customers late last week, TD said it would discontinue Mobile Payment on November 1st:

“On this date, you will no longer be able to pay for purchases using TD Mobile Payment but your physical TD Credit Card and any pre-authorized payments set up with your card will continue to work,” the email read.

TD cited the “growing popularity of other digital wallets” for the shutdown of Mobile Payment. However, TD still doesn’t support Google Wallet for payments. A Google Wallet help page listing supported Canadian banks and cards doesn’t include TD. Moreover, a Reddit post about the email received several complaints from users who still can’t add TD cards to Google Wallet.

It’s worth noting that TD supports Apple Pay. Oddly, TD’s U.S. subsidiary supports Google Wallet.

TD added Mobile Payment to its app back in 2016 as a way for people with NFC-capable smartphones to make payments with TD-issued cards. Hopefully, now that Mobile Payment is leaving the TD app, the bank will finally add Google Wallet support.

(Thanks Bob!)

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Mobile Syrup

Pixel 7 series requires fingerprint for Google Wallet

Google’s latest Pixel 7 series has brought back face unlock, but thanks to face unlock sporting a lower security class than fingerprint, some Pixel 7 and 7 Pro users are experiencing unexpectedly declined payments.

Typically when paying with Google Wallet, all your phone requires is that it’s unlocked. That’s not the case with the Pixel 7 series if you use face unlock, however.

 

Google says that the Pixel 7’s face unlock is rated as a class 1 biometric system. To use payment apps like Google Wallet, a class 3 biometric system like your fingerprint is required, so it appears that unlocking the phone with your face causes transactions to decline.

I mentioned this in my Pixel 7 Pro review, but I didn’t check to see what happens if I tried paying without my fingerprint.

When you’re about to pay, the app should prompt the user to use the fingerprint scanner, or explain why there’s an error, but that’s not the case.

Hopefully, Google pushes out an update for this issue, and either prompts people to use their fingerprint or at least explains why the payment didn’t go through.

Source: 9to5Google, @MaxWeinbach

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Mobile Syrup

Google Wallet tap to pay not working due to bugged security prompt

Some people have run into issues tapping their Android phones to pay at stores due to an odd Google Wallet issue. Those encountering the issue receive a pop-up noting that their device “doesn’t meet security requirements,” warning that the phone “may be rooted or running uncertified software.”

Complaints have emerged on Reddit from users with Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy smartphones, but the people encountering the issue don’t have rooted or modified phones. Worse, common solutions like clearing the Play Store’s app cache don’t seem to make a difference.

Security check pop-up | Credit: u/Norci

However, Android Police suggests the problem could be related to a change to Android’s security check process. Google Wallet typically performs a device check using the ‘SafetyNet Attestation API’ when users try to make a payment. That check looks for things that could make transmitting card information extra risky, such as unlocked bootloaders. Phones that fail the check see the above pop-up.

Android Police explains that Google is in the process of replacing the SafetyNet Attestation API with a new API dubbed ‘Play Integrity.’ The switch is supposed to happen in 2024, but Google has forged ahead with its own apps — for example, Google Wallet.

The publication suggests the switch to Play Integrity could be connected to the new wave of failed safety checks for people with smartphones that shouldn’t fail the checks. Android Police points to RSA Security’s SecurID Authenticator app, which recently faced the same problem after the 4.1.5 update last week.

RSA explained in a community forum bulletin that it switched from SafetyNet to Play Integrity for SecurID security checks, and then the app started detecting a rooted state and prevented people from using the app. After working with Google on the issue, RSA pushed version 4.1.6 out over the weekend with a fix for the issue.

That said, it’s not clear whether the Play Integrity check is behind the Google Wallet problem. An Android Police employee has a Galaxy S22 Ultra with the old Google Pay app that is also impacted by the issue, so it’s possible something else is going on. Moreover, Google appears to have switched Wallet to Play Integrity in August, so it’s odd that it’d be causing a problem now.

Regardless, the problem seems to have a wide enough spread that Google will hopefully push out a fix sooner rather than later.

Source: Reddit, (2), (3), Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

New Google Wallet app now available for download in Canada

After starting the Google Wallet rollout earlier this week, it looks like Google’s revamped payments app is now available to all (assuming you live in one of the 39 supported countries, like Canada).

The update showed up for me last night, but some received the new Wallet app as far back as Monday. Google first announced Wallet at I/O 2022 — the new app replaces Google Pay in many countries (including Canada) while offering most of the same functionality. That is, Canadians can still use Wallet to stare payment cards (like credit and debit), gift cards, digital identification, vaccination status, and more.

Moreover, Wallet includes a small visual refresh that brings the app’s design in line with Android 12 and Material You. Those already using Google Pay should see Wallet arrive via an update to the Pay update. If not, you can download Wallet from the Google Play Store here.

Beyond the name and design changes, most Canadians likely won’t notice any significant differences between Pay and Wallet. The app can still be used to pay for things at retailers that support Google Pay. You can still store various items in it. Some might even wonder why bother switching back to Wallet given that Google originally launched Wallet in 2011 and then combined Wallet with Android Pay to create Google Pay in 2018, only to turn around and go back to Wallet in 2022.

For the countries that will continue to have access to Google Pay (so far, the U.S., Singapore, and India), Pay will serve as a tool to handle peer-to-peer payments.

Image credit: Google

Source: @Android

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Mobile Syrup

Google now rolling out updated Wallet app to replace Google Pay

Google’s revamped Wallet app, set to replace Google Pay in several countries (except the U.S., Singapore, and India, where Pay will continue to exist as a separate app called GPay alongside Wallet), started rolling out to some users.

A Google spokesperson, Chaiti Sen, confirmed to The Verge that the company “started rolling out the Wallet to Android users in 39 countries” and that it’ll be available “to all users over the next few days.” Canada is among the 39 countries set to get Google Wallet, although it hasn’t arrived on any of my devices yet.

9to5Google reports that Wallet is coming as an update to the Google Pay app, so if you’re waiting for Wallet to arrive, check the Play Store for Pay updates.

Google announced Wallet back at its annual I/O developer conference, framing it as the go-to tool for storing digital cards — including payment cards like debit and credit, as well as other items like identification, vaccination status, tickets, keys, and more.

The Verge notes that Google’s payment app has undergone several changes throughout the years. Back in 2011, Wallet was an NFC payment app and over time gained new features like peer-to-peer money transfers and even a physical Google Wallet debit card. In 2018, Google combined Wallet with Android Pay to create Google Pay. Now the app is headed back to Wallet in most regions, with Google Pay sticking around in some countries as a peer-to-peer payment system.

While a convoluted history, hopefully, the end result is the new Google Wallet app offers a better experience for users.

Source: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Google Pay will update to Google Wallet in Canada in coming weeks

At the I/O developer conference, Google launched Google Wallet, a new Android and Wear OS app that will let you store credit cards, loyalty cards, digital IDs and more.

However, according to TechCrunch, Google Pay is pretty much already a wallet, so users in 39 markets, including Canada, will just see Google Pay update to Google Wallet. However, in the U.S. and Singapore, Wallet will be a companion app to Google Pay, where you’ll pay using Google Pay, and the Wallet app will just be somewhere to store your digital cards.

“The Google Pay app will be a companion app to the Wallet,” Arnold Goldberg, the VP and GM of Payments at Google, said to TechCrunch. “Think of [the Google Pay app] as this higher value app that will be a place for you to make payments and manage money, whereas the wallet will really be this container for you to store your payment assets and your non-payment assets.”

For all of our content from I/O 2022, follow this link.

Via: TechCrunch

Image Credit: TechCrunch