Google Putting The Brakes On Tap & Pay Functionality, For Non Android 4.4 KitKat Devices

Google is doing away with Tap & Pay functionality on April 14 for non Android 4.4 KitKat devices. You will only be able to store loyalty cards and offers, send money to friends, view orders, and use the physical Google Wallet card to make purchases.

Google has begun sending emails out notifying users who meet the non KitKat criteria and also updated the Google Wallet support pages. 

Google mentions in the email that KitKat “works with different technology for an improved experience”. One can only assume Google is referring to Host Card Emulation (HCE). HCE allows devices to make secure NFC purchases without needing a Secure Element. This feature was first introduced with Android 4.4 KitKat update.

Google Wallet For iOS Now Available For Download

Google today launched an iOS version of its mobile payments app. The official Google Wallet app is now available for download in the App Store, complete with many of the same features included with the recent Android app update.

Once installed, the Google Wallet app for iOS allows users to send money to other people with a valid email address, add loyalty cards and offers to the app and scan credit and debit cards that can then be used to send money and make online purchases. Google Wallet requires iOS 6 or later and is compatible with the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad.


Source: Apple App Store

Google Wallet Now Available For Sprint’s Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 2 And HTC One

This morning, Google announced the availability of Google Wallet for new Android devices. The newly approved devices are Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2, along with the HTC One on Sprint. US Cellular also got some love, as their Galaxy S4 is also now compatible with the mobile wallet service. 

If you own one of those devices on Sprint, you can pick up the Google Wallet app through Google Play, starting today.

Google Play Store link

Source: Google+

Google Integrates Google Wallet With Gmail

Following its I/O keynote address today, Google just announced on its commerce blog that it will soon be integrating Google Wallet features into Gmail to allow users to send and receive money. The feature will be available to those with a Google Wallet account and will initially be available to users 18 and older in the US.

Google Wallet is now integrated with Gmail, so you can quickly and securely send money to friends and family directly within Gmail — even if they don’t have a Gmail address. It’s free to send money if your bank account is linked to Google Wallet or using your Google Wallet balance, and low fees apply to send money using your linked credit or debit card.

Google will be adding a new $ icon next to the paperclip icon for attachements that will allow users to “attach money” to messages in Gmail by simply entering the amount and clicking send.

Google noted that the feature will first only be available on the desktop, but that users can also send money through wallet.google.com on mobile devices.

Look for the feature to start rolling out in the coming weeks but earlier access will be granted to those that receive money from others using the feature. You can learn more about sending money with Gmail here.

Google I/O Registration Starts On March 13

Google announced Friday afternoon that it would accept registrations for Google I/O 2013 starting on March 13. Get your browsers ready and your click finger warmed up early that morning as registration starts at 7:00 AM PDT. Ticket prices will be $900 for general attendees and $300 for academic attendees.

The registration process requires you to have a Google+ and a Google Wallet account so make sure you have those accounts setup well in advance. These tickets are going to fly out the door quickly, and you will lose out if you are fumbling to setup your accounts.

Google I/O will be held on May 15-17, 2013. Anyone planning on going to the developer conference?

Source: Google

Google Says Official Fix For Google Wallet Is Coming Soon For HTC EVO 4G LTE

Google has just updated its Play Store listing for Google Wallet with one little tidbit for HTC EVO 4G LTE owners: “Google Wallet will be unavailable on the EVO 4G until an OTA update in July.”

This is significant for several reasons: first, it’s a very public recognition from Google that it’s aware of the problem and already has a solution in mind. Second, we finally have a timeframe in which we can expect a fix, even though it’s still somewhat vague. And third, we have semi-official confirmation that the EVO 4G LTE will indeed get an OTA update in July.

Granted, there’s still three weeks left in July, and Sprint also doesn’t have the best track record with OTA updates as of late. But in any case, Google seems confident that the problem will be fixed before the end of the month, and while I still think that this whole debacle was absolutely ridiculous and completely unprofessional, it looks like it will all be over soon.

Sprint's Makes LG Viper 4G LTE Preorder's Live April 12 For $99

Sprint's just given us the heads up that the LG Viper 4G LTE, with its 4-inch NOVA display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 5MP camera and NFC radio (along with Google Wallet) will be up for pre-order starting April 12. The Viper, which we got a dark look at back at CES in January, admittedly won't set any hardware records. But the price is right -- $99 on contract, with $50 mail-in rebate. Sweetening the deal is 50GB of cloud storage from Box. Sprint says full availability dates will be announced later this month.

Google Tweaks Wallet for Select Android Phones

Google has released a minor update to Google Wallet, its mobile payment tool. The updates include user interface changes, improved management of Citi Mastercards, and more flexible prepaid card top-ups. The update is compatible with the Sprint Nexus S 4G and unlocked versions of the Galaxy Nexus running with AT&T SIM cards. The updated software is free.

Google: We Will Launch 10 New Google Wallet Supported Devices For Sprint In 2012

Besides the LG Viper 4G, Sprint will be getting at least nine other devices that run Google Wallet by years end, says Google's VP of Wallet and Payments Osama Bedier. During the Mobile Money: Delivering Innovative Mobile Payment Services panel in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress 2012, Bedier said Sprint will introduce "at least 10 additional phones" with support for Google Wallet this year. He also added that Google is still negotiating with other operators, manufacturers, and potential financial partners to broaden the reach of Wallet in the US.

With 22 of the largest retail chains in the US supporting Wallet purchases at over 300,000 MasterCard PayPass terminals, Google has a big head start. But that's no guarantee that the service will become the standard, as competitor Isis sets up to begin trials later this year. Isis already has the partners -- HTC, LG, Motorola Mobility, Research In Motion, Samsung and Sony have committed to building devices that support Isis, and Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, Chase, CapitalOne and Barclaycard have partnered with them as well. That is going to be tough to compete against. With recent security issues plaguing Google Wallet, a partnership with Sprint alone may not be enough to keep the project afloat. We'll have to wait and see who can deliver a product that consumers want, and more importantly, a new technology that consumers will adopt.