Last year, Google Pay was integrated into the new wallet app. Now the digital wallet is getting a comprehensive redesign.
Since the summer of 2022, Google Wallet has been the standard app on Android smartphones for making contactless card payments and storing documents such as boarding passes or digital loyalty cards. At the beginning of June, Google announced a number of new functions for the app, and extensive changes to the interface are now to follow.
More compact design for more information
When replacing the older Google Pay app, Google Wallet adopted its relatively simple structure. The result was large, free spaces and little information that could be read directly. The basic structure of stored payment options and saved passports remains. However, with the new, more compact design, the app is better equipped for additional functions.
Google Pay becomes Google Wallet
When paying at the checkout with your smartphone, some people may have wondered why Google Wallet and no longer Google Pay is now opening. Google originally introduced the wallet in 2011 and launched Android Pay in 2015. In 2018, the wallet was integrated into a new service called Google Pay. Then, in 2022, Google announced a new wallet app that coexisted with Google Pay for a while. However, in the summer of 2022, Google Pay was integrated into Google Wallet. Since then, Google Pay is no longer available as an individual app, but only the name for the payment function in Google Wallet.
The first change that stands out after the update: the round NFC logo that used to be enthroned above the payment options has disappeared. In return, the carousel with the bank cards moves further up. The rotation of the maps themselves is also adjusted. Instead of appearing next to each other, they are now on top of each other. This makes it easier for users to see which other cards are below the one selected.
It also eliminates the indicator of which card is currently active in the rotation. This frees up a little more space below, which is now used to display additional saved passes. Previously, only two passes were visible on the start page – due to the design change, there are now four.
Google Wallet is getting a lot of new features
This extension is no coincidence, because as recently as the beginning of June, Google released a number of additional documents announced, which users can store in the wallet. It should soon be possible to save health cards, ID cards and company ID cards in a digital wallet. However, due to various data protection regulations, some of these functions are only available outside of Germany. In addition, more and more local transport companies are offering tickets for the Google Wallet (and the Apple Wallet). The Deutschlandticket is also compatible with the app. In addition, Google is making it easier to add individual passes to the app. If a document has a barcode or QR code, you can scan it with Google Wallet and store it there.