Google launces Apple Pay competitor, updates smart watch
Google has announced its own contactless payment system and a newly updated Android Wear smartwatch in moves to challenge tech giant rival Apple.
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Android Pay, unveiled at the I/O conference in San Francisco, will allow people to use their phones to pay for items in shops. The technology, know as Near Field Communications, will be usable in more than 700,000 US stores, as soon as the user links their credit card to the service.
“Just unlock your device, hold it up to a reader, and you’re done. There is no need to open an app,” said Dave Burke, vice-president of engineering.
Users can enable fingerprint recognition software as a heightened security measure, although the system does not pass credit card numbers to vendors.
The service will replace Google Wallet and is set to compete with Apple Pay, which has already launched in the US and it set to arrive in the UK later this year.
Google's Android Wear smartwatch is also receiving an update, with new functionality such as skipping pages or viewing texts with the flick of the wrist and the ability to draw emojis.