As part of its I/O 2015 conference, Google has announced an updated version of Android Pay will be coming to the publisher's mobile OS. Essentially, it's the company's answer to Apple Pay, though there are a number of features that separate Google's payment system from its competition.
Android Pay is, at its core, an NFC payment system. Basically, instead of grabbing for a credit card or a wallet, users can simply press their phones up against an NFC receptor and pay wirelessly. Of course, security for these types of features is a huge concern, but Google's on top of it: the publisher is already working with several major financial institutions to make sure that the transactions are as secure as physically possible.
Google is also working with the country's largest smartphone providers, which should ensure that users can purchase a new phone and be ready to use Android Pay without any trouble whatsoever. It's definitely a good thing, because Google announced that Android Pay would be available at approximately 700,000 different store and restaurant locations, including McDonald's, Macy's and more. Even better, select locations will offer loyalty programs and rewards for using Android Pay: basically, you're getting rewards for using a more convenient system.
What sets Android Pay apart from other, similar systems are the new biometric features. While Android Pay will be available on all phones running the KitKat OS, users with Android M, the new Android 6.0 OS replacing Lollipop, will be able to tap into a set of biometric options: namely, the new fingerprint systems. Instead of requiring users to log in, Android M can scan a fingerprint to authorize payments. Considering that developers can integrate Android Pay into the apps themselves, users won't even have to pull out their wallets to make purchases.
This latest version of Android Pay will be available for download soon. For even more information on Google's NFC payment program, check out the official Android Blog.
