Google might be trying its best to keep its house in order — eliminating redundant messaging and reminders apps, combining Duo and Meet into… well, Meet — but sometimes, the company just can't help itself. At this year's I/O, Google announced Wallet, marking the return of a once-defunct app to Android with an all-new purpose. After two months of waiting and preparations, Wallet is finally rolling out to users, and as expected, it's taking the space left by the legacy Google Pay app on the Play Store.
As promised at I/O, Google is transforming the legacy Google Pay app into Wallet through an update, coming to phones through the Play Store or through downloading the required APK from APK Mirror. For most of the world, this means an update to the payment app used each and every day for mobile transactions — the redesigned Pay app only came to the US, India, and Singapore before a change in leadership prompted the rebirth of Wallet.
As you might expect with any modern Google app, it's decked out in Material You goodness, from dynamic themes right down to the rounded button for adding cards. While payment methods and transit passes can be added directly in the app, you'll need to turn to specific links on boarding passes, tickets, and more to add them to your phone. The app's icon is also missing support for dynamic theming, as seen below.
For those global users, this update marks a turning point in Android's default payment strategy. Wallet is designed to house all sorts of information, from debit and credit cards to loyalty and frequent shopper tags and even driver's licenses and COVID-19 vaccination records. That's not to say Pay — the branding, not the app — is going away. If you make a transaction with Wallet, you'll still see Google Pay used as the method for exchanging money. If it sounds confusing, well, catchy branding has never been Google's strong suit.
As pointed out by AP founder Artem Russakovskii, this lineup isn't confusing at all.
Meanwhile, the US and Singapore will get access to both apps, living side-by-side in the kind of perfect harmony that every Android user will no doubt inherently understand. Meanwhile, India will stick with the redesigned Google Pay app exclusively — no Wallet access whatsoever.
As annoying as Google's duplicate services can get, this step seems to be in the right direction. Wallet looks like a promising way to merge your digital life with all of the information you carry in your back pocket, and it's something that'll only get more useful as more governments begin supporting digital IDs. While those of us in the US and Singapore will have to deal with a confusing mix of apps cluttering our phones, the rest of the world can look forward to a massive leap in the mobile payment experience.
Thanks: Nick, Armando