Google launches multipurpose digital wallet with support for digital IDs, tickets and payment cards

Google multipurpose digital wallet home page

Google is rolling out a digital wallet that will enable users to store, use and present digital identity documents and driving licences as well as payment cards, transit and event tickets, boarding and loyalty passes, health documents such as Covid-19 vaccination certificates, hotel keys and office badges on their Android smartphone or Wear OS smartwatch... More



What's New in Payments

Google to sunset Payment Request API

Rethinking Payment Request for iOS Chrome — Google — “The best way to enable more seamless and secure payments on the web is to enable an interoperable ecosystem, where digital wallets can bring their best experience to the web. This means shifting focus to the Payment Handler API, which is an emerging W3C standard that allows third party payment handlers, which can be either native mobile apps or progressive web apps, to integrate with the browser to handle Payment Requests… This shift in focus means that we will eventually sunset Chrome’s built-in ‘basic-card’ payment handler.”


W3C adopts password-free login standard

W3C approves WebAuthn as the web standard for password-free logins — VentureBeat — “The specification lets users log into online accounts using biometrics, mobile devices, and/or Fido security keys. WebAuthn is supported by Android and Windows 10. On the browser side, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge all added support last year. Apple has supported WebAuthn in preview versions of Safari since December.”



What's New in Payments

Google Pay begins to roll out on the web

5 ways Google Pay can save you time and money at checkout — Google — “We’re starting to roll out Google Pay on the web from desktop and iOS — which means you’ll start seeing it when you’re shopping on browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, no matter your device… Once you’ve added a card to Google Pay, you won’t need to enter your payment info again — even when you’re checking out in an app or on a site for the first time. And if you’re checking out on Chrome, Google Pay can automatically fill in your billing, shipping, and payment info, so you don’t have to bother with forms.”



What's New in Payments

OCBC Bank launches mobile keyboard to enable cashless payments directly from any mobile app

OCBC Bank launches mobile keyboard to enable cashless payments directly from any mobile app — OCBC — “The OCBC Keyboard can be used within any mobile app or browser – for instance, within Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram or Chrome – to send money instantly to anyone with a bank account in Singapore… Payments are completely secure as they are authenticated with the sender’s mobile banking credentials.”


What's New in Payments

Google to let users make in-app and online payments with any stored card and add P2P payments to digital assistant

Google Assistant

Google has unveiled a new payment API that will allow customers to make payments through third party mobile apps, websites and the company’s voice-based Google Assistant using “any credit or debit card stored in their Google account” from across a range of services including Android Pay, Google Play and Google Chrome. The API will also let customers use a stored card to complete transactions via a new peer-to-peer (P2P) payments feature that will be added to the digital assistant. More



Facebook strengthens security with Fido-compliant authentication

Facebook

Social media giant Facebook has added the Fido Alliance’s Universal Second Factor (U2F) specification to its platform to strengthen its range of two-factor authentication methods which have previously been offered through an SMS service or by a code generation feature inside the Facebook mobile app... More






Proxama and Google bring the physical web to London buses

Proxama

PARTNER NEWS: Commuters across London can now access real-time transport updates and contextually relevant advertising on their mobile phones through MyStop, a physical web service launched by mobile commerce provider Proxama with the support of Google and in partnership with out-of-home advertising provider Exterion Media. More


Android users to get app-free beacon messages

Chrome for Android

Google has begun supporting the physical web in its Chrome browser for Android, enabling users to discover web content relevant to their surroundings via Eddystone Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons — without needing to download a specific app... More




NFC World

Android Chrome asks for NFC

A beta version of Google’s Chrome web browser for Android phones, released in the Android Market yesterday, requests user permission to control near field communication features upon installation... More