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This week Google has relaunched Google Wallet — the app it once replaced with Google Pay — but this time round the wallet is much more than just a payments app.
After releasing a teaser of the new Google Wallet at its annual developer conference in May, the app is currently being rolled out as an update to Google Pay across multiple jurisdictions.
In 39 countries where Google Wallet will launch over the next few days, Android users will see their Google Pay app disappear and be replaced with Google Wallet.
In the US and Singapore, however, the two apps will continue to operate simultaneously; while in India, users will have to settle for Google Pay, at least for now.
Whereas Google Pay was essentially a virtual holder for debit and credit card information, Google Wallet will expand the app to house a much wider range of data and use cases.
As noted in a Google Developers video published in May, Google Wallet can hold loyalty cards, gift cards, boarding passes, public transport passes, concert tickets, car keys, vaccination records and government ID cards.
Users can also connect Google Wallet to other Google apps, so that the wallet will know when to send event notifications, flight updates and updates on card balances.
Although quiet about the exact launch date, Google has made no secret of its plans to completely replace physical wallets with Google Wallet.
Speaking at the Google I/O developer conference in May, Sameer Samat, vice president of product management at Android, said he hopes the days of physical wallets are numbered thanks to Google Wallet.
Samat also said that he believes the main obstacle to replacing physical wallets is the issue of government ID, and how to securely embed it into one’s device.
“Now, we know it's hard to part with your physical wallet if it doesn't have your most essential item, your ID,” said Samat.
“So we're working with states here in the US and governments around the world to bring digital IDs to Google Wallet later this year.”
Starting with driver's licences, Google Wallet users will be able to share their government ID by tapping a near-field communication (NFC) device or QR code reader, without having to hand over their phone or wearable device to another person.
In 2011, when Google Wallet was first launched, it was an NFC payment app. Eventually it was upgraded with peer-to-transfer functionality alongside other payment features, and even a physical debit card.
But in 2018, Google Wallet was discontinued when it was combined with Android Pay to produce Google Pay.
As reported by VIXIO last month, Google Wallet is similar to the latest version of the Apple Wallet, minus its buy now, pay later (BNPL) features.
Like Google Wallet, Apple Wallet aims to go beyond being a simple storage system for payment cards, and tempt users into storing items such as car keys, vaccination records and shareable government ID in digital form.
