Google Wallet is a mobile payment app first released on September 19th2011. The system was initially available only on a Sprint’s Nexus S 4G and it used to support only a limited number of cards. These limitations were probably the reasons why the app didn’t have many opportunities to get widely adopted. However, the improvements Google now made with the support of the cloud may make Wallet more of a household item.
Google’s virtual wallet is a simple and practical method of payment that will now become available to a larger number of people. The newest cloud technologies provided faster integration process for the banks who wanted to offer their cards within Google Wallet. Now the app allows storing all kinds of credit and debit cards from Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover for both online and in-store payments. Besides this, the app will from now be available on a larger number of devices – five kinds of smartphones and Nexus 7 tablet.
To make sure that a transaction is secure the Wallet uses near field communication (NFC) system, but the cloud technology will raise the general security to a higher level. The new version will allow a user to remotely disable the app if a phone is lost. From Google they say they always pay special attention to security issues and this is why they added this feature. They hope that this level of security would make more users to trust the app.
The internet connection was one of the major issues related to the app, according to Google’s blog post. Google team says that the Internet is necessary to enter a credit card, change the selected payment card and view transaction details, while it is not necessary for actually making in-store payment.
It is certain that Google made significant improvements by adding cloud features to this technology. The simplicity of the new service might easily gain new fans, especially among those who are reluctant about adopting new gadgets and technologies. Broader public that still questions security issues related to the cloud might still wait for a while, but the app still stands good chances to become mainstream soon.
