Google I/O kicks off tomorrow, and we’re expected lots of Android goodies to be announced there. Android M already looks like a lock for the event, but now it looks like we’ll get some news about Android Pay too.
According to The New York Times, Google will further detail Android Pay at its developer conference this week. Google’s Sundar Pichai confirmed Android Pay’s existence back in March but didn’t elaborate any further. The NYT’s sources say that Android Pay will let sellers accept credit card payments from inside of their own apps and that the service will also integrate with retailer loyalty programs.
Meanwhile, Google Wallet is expected to get a major refresh at I/O that’ll see it focus on being a peer-to-peer payments service. Wallet will easily let consumers send money to one another using their debit accounts, making it sound like a kind of PayPal competitor.
Despite being around for quite a while, the mobile payments space has only started to heat up recently, with Apple Pay helping to lead the charge and Samsung Pay becoming official. As a result, it’s no surprise to learn that Google wants to get Android Pay off the ground as soon as possible to help it compete with Apple and Samsung’s offerings and gain traction with Android users everywhere.
Today’s NYT report also contains some details on Apple Pay. Sources say that Apple will announce some improvements to its mobile payment service at WWDC in June, including support for a rewards program.
