On Wednesday, May 18, ahead of Google's annual I/O conference event that started in Mountain View, the company has unveiled its latest Android Pay developments. The mobile wallet app for smartphones powered by Android is opening for business in its first market outside the United States. Android Pay will be available in the United Kingdom on NFC-enabled Android devices running KitKat 4.4 or later.
According to Venture Beat, Android Pay is a mobile wallet app similar to Apple Pay that allows users purchase goods in physical retail stores. Users need to associate first their Visa card or MasterCard with their device. The mobile payment for purchases is done by swiping the phone against a contactless terminal at the point of sale.
Android Pay can also be used to pay for goods or services within third-party app, including those by YPlan, Airbnb, Kickstarter, Zara, Deliveroo and JD Sports. Google's mobile wallet app integration with other third-party applications is designed to save consumers from the need to re-enter their payment details in multiple apps. One important and useful feature is that Android Pay can also be used on London's public transport network, including buses and the Tube.
The Internet giant Google has launched its Android Pay last May, but so far the application has been only available in the U.S. starting September 2015. In March 2016, Google did confirm back then that Android Pay would launch in the British market in the next months.
Google now confirmed that Android Pay will be also launching in Singapore and Australia soon. More countries will be added on the list in the coming months. For now, it looks like a major global rollout across 2016 is having the U.K. as its launchpad.
According to Tech Crunch, users in the U.K. will be able to make purchases of £30 (about $43) and under by using Android Pay with a single tap after their upload of a MasterCard or Visa credit or debit card from one of the banks supporting the service. Unless the price is higher, there is no need to unlock the phone.
