Ah, Android Pay. We’ve known about it for months, but Google has – frustratingly – kept the release date under wraps.
But that moratorium on public scheduling has just been lifted, even if only slightly.
Google has confirmed that Android Pay is going to launch to the public “in the next few weeks”.
The message is hidden in an FAQ page that Google Wallet users are directed to by a ‘learn more’ link, as first spotted by Android Guys.
The page explains that
If you’ve already got Google Wallet, you’ll be automatically upgraded to the spanking new Android Pay.
Mind you, Google Wallet will still exist, but it’ll be living as a standalone app in the Google Play store.
If you’ve got any gift cards stored on the current Google Wallet, they’ll be shifted over to Android Pay.
The service was originally announced back at the annual Google I/O developer conference earlier this year.
It’s basically Google’s answer to Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, and offers Android users a solid way of paying for goods using their smartphone’s NFC chip.
We’ve already heard several reports that suggest Android Pay will be coming in either September or October, so this latest news isn’t exactly surprising.
However, this is the first time Google has given us a definitive indication that the launch is imminent.
Related: Android Pay vs Apple Pay
It’s expected that Android Pay will launch at a similar time to, if not alongside, the upcoming Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system.
That’s a major OS overhaul that will land as a successor to the current Android 5.x Lollipop system.
To show off the new OS, it’s widely tipped that Google will be launching two new Nexus devices – an LG Nexus 5 (2015) and a Huawei Nexus 6 (2015).
Will you be using Android Pay, or do you prefer cold, hard cash-in-hand? Let us know in the comments.
Check out our smartphone group test video below:
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.