Apple Pay is not the only mobile payment system that is adding retail partners here and there -- Google Wallet too can play that game. Google has certainly been busy beefing up its mobile payment system in the last few months -- it acquired Softcard's point of sale (POS) technology in February of this year, and has even made its Google Wallet international by launching its Gmail money transfer in the United Kingdom.
Now, the tech giant is incorporating key integrations with merchants and their platforms. Consumers that make use of Android apps from business establishments like Dunkin' Donuts and Seamless, as well as merchants that create online stores via Shopify, can now use Google Wallet in facilitating quick and easy payments. In November of last year, Google Wallet was also integrated with Papa John's mobile app for the Android platform, plus the merchant platforms for Shopgate and ChowNow.
Despite these integrations, Google Wallet is still trying to pick up some speed in rolling out to more platforms. Before the latest integrations, Google Wallet has only been integrated with about 30 mobile sites and 30 mobile apps. For now, Google Wallet is still limited to consumers based in the United States and to business establishments. Even as Google made money transfer possible through its Gmail service, Google Wallet's presence outside the US is still very minimal.
But it cannot be denied that mobile payment systems as a whole have made significant progress over the last few months. People have always embraced the idea of facilitating payments using their mobile devices, but creating a system that works, is safe, and easy to do for most consumers, has been a challenge for many mobile device manufacturers. But the good news is that we are getting there, even if there are still some obstacles that need to be overcome. The launch of Apple Pay last year certainly helped a lot in making the concept of mobile payment systems more popular. And with Google also giving it a shot, it seems that it would only be a matter of time before paying via mobile devices really takes off.
And it is not like Google is doing it without any help. As a matter of fact, the tech giant is teaming up with US major wireless carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless in having Google Wallet pre-installed on Android mobile devices being offered by these carriers starting fall of this year.
