Google Wallet on your smartwatch: Which watches have tap-to-pay?

One of the biggest draws to owning a smartwatch is the ability to make touchless payments anywhere that allows it. So what Wear OS watches utilize Google Wallet and touchless payments? Here’s our up-to-date list of smartwatches that can use Google Wallet.

Google Wallet – what does a watch need to use it?

Google Wallet has become a staple among Android-based Wear OS watches on the market. Even on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch series, I prefer to use Google Wallet over Samsung Pay, just because it’s simple and syncs really nicely across my device and watch.

Google Wallet – previously known as Google Pay – is also very easy to activate, and after doing so, loads very quickly. This proves to be a strong point when needing to quickly pull up your cards with a quick double-tap of the home key. With the transition into Google Wallet from Pay, this feature was disrupted and left broken for some devices, though that issue has since been fixed.

The device requirements to make use of Google Wallet on smartwatches are simple. The watch needs to run Wear OS version 2.0 or higher and be equipped with NFC capabilities. Without the latter, there’s no way for your watch to communicate with any payment terminal. Since Samsung’s Galaxy Watch line runs a version of Wear OS, those devices are fully capable of Google’s touchless payments app, so long as they have NFC. Another requirement to be aware of is the availability of Google Wallet in your region. While many do take advantage of the app, there are a few where Google Wallet isn’t available.

Related: How to use Google Wallet with your Galaxy Watch 5

Wear OS watches that can use Google Wallet

With those two requirements, it’s easy to narrow down which watches can use Google Wallet for touchless payments. Here’s a list of just a few smartwatches that meet the requirements:

Watches that have yet to be released or will eventually have Google Wallet support are marked as such. The Pixel Watch has yet to be fully announced, though we’re certain the Google-made device will run Google Wallet in some form.

Do any other watches support Google Wallet?

It was recently announced that the Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2 would be seeing Google Wallet compatibility “soon,” even though the devices do not run Wear OS. This makes these smartwatches some of the first to run Google Wallet outside of the operating system. Previous to this, Fitbit’s devices were loaded with Fitbit Pay, which utilized the NFC onboard the smartwatches, similar to Google Wallet.

Going forward, most Wear OS devices will more than likely be able to handle Google Wallet. Wearables like those from Fitbit are in a special category since Google owns the company, which means seeing Google Wallet on non-Wear OS devices going forward is unlikely.

More on Google Wallet:

• Google Wallet for Wear OS will get more features as update breaks button shortcut for some
• Google Wallet: How to install it on your Android device
• Wear OS watches regain double-click shortcut for Google Wallet