Google hinted at how sending money would soon become much easier during this week’s Google I/O keynote – and now the full extent of its plans have been revealed.
In a blog post, Google confirmed that it would soon allow US users to send or receive payments directly using Google Assistant. For the unaware, Google Assistant is a virtual helper powered by artificial intelligence, and is available on Android phones along with the Google Home smart speaker.
To send money using Google Assistant, all you’ll need to do is say ‘Ok Google, send $10 to Jane for pizza’. Assuming you have a debit card linked to your Google account, it should send immediately.
This change is part of a sweeping list of payment updates that Google has in the works. At the annual I/O developer conference, Google announced the Google Payment API, which lets people pay in-app or online using any verified card that’s saved to their Google Account.
Google Home will soon support money transfers
This means that you won’t need to type multiple lines of payment deals; instead, paying with Google will let you choose a preferred card and then authenticate it to check out.
Developers will be able to use this API to build an easy checkout system into their apps.
Google is also working on a new loyalty scheme through the Card Linked Offers API. This will allow customers to save their loyalty cards to Android Pay, at which point retailers will be able to dole out offers directly through the app.
It’s also going to be much easier to add loyalty programs for a user, as Pali Bhat, VP of Payment Products at Google explains: “We’re also making it easier for Android Pay users to add loyalty programs.”
“For example, Walgreens Balance Rewards members who manually apply their loyalty account with a phone number and use Android Pay will receive a notification on their phone that easily enables them to link that loyalty card to Android Pay for future visits,” Bhat continued.
He added: “This experience is powered by our smart tap technology, which Walgreens has fully deployed across their 8,000+ U.S. stores.”
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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.
