Following a teaser yesterday, a brand new version of the Google Pay app is now available on Android, but it’s in an invite-only “early access” version right now. Here’s what’s new.
The new Google Pay app delivers a complete redesign to everyone. If you’re familiar with Tez, the version of Pay that’s been available in India for a while now, this interface is basically the same.
The app shows friends and family you can pay directly through the app at the top of the screen with nearby businesses that accept Google Pay appearing below. That includes restaurants where users can both order and pay for food through Pay. If you’ve paid to that restaurant from apps such as DoorDash using Google Pay, you’ll see your order history on the page too.
Beyond restaurants, the new Google Pay can also help you pay for gas at select gas stations and even help pay for parking, all from your smartphone. This all requires support from retailers, but when available it’s a useful addition.
The new Google Pay is about more than just spending money, though, it’s also about managing it. Google has added a new feature that allows users to connect their bank or credit cards using Plaid. When enabled, Pay can update account info with your bank, show balances, and even track payments and transactions on those cards. Pay has long been able to pull receipts and passes from Gmail, but with the new experience, it can also import receipts from Google Photos.
What about NFC payments? The heart and soul of the old Google Pay is still very much available, but in a different sense. At the top of the UI there’s a card indicator for your primary card and tapping it allows you to swap cards, view tickets, and access gift cards or loyalty cards. It’s a bit more cumbersome, though, which might irk some users. At least Android 11 makes it easier to access Google Pay.
Finally, the new Google Pay also includes a “Profile” page with a QR code for easy sharing. The page also has your Pay balance, and a referral option as well. Google will be offering rewards as a part of the app going forward, but for now, the only rewards that are widely available are referrals to bring users on board. When you refer someone to the service, their first payment with Pay can net you up to $10 while that person can get up to $5 off their first purchase.
As mentioned, you can only get the new Google Pay app right now with an invite. Luckily, since we have access, we can share it with you too. If you want to try the new Google Pay, just click here. For now, it appears the new app is only available in the United States.
Oh, and there’s also a new logo, though it’s the same one that rolled out in India a few weeks ago.
Thanks Max!
Author: Ben Schoon
Source: 9TO5Google
