Google Launches Android Pay

Android throws the latest dice in the age of mobile payment revolution with Android Pay, a standalone app infinitely better than Google Wallet, which is now primarily used for peer to peer payments. Like Apple Pay and unlike Samsung Pay, Android Pay is a conventional NFC(Near Field Communications)- based payment system, which can be used to purchase digital goods as well as physical. Android Pay has been launched in the US.

Android Pay

At launch, Android Pay already works with many of the major US banks and credit cards, including:

• American Express
• Bank of America 
• Citi
• Discover
• Navy Federal Credit Union
• PNC
• Regions Bank
• USAA
• U.S. Bank
• Wells Fargo.

Google notes that Capital One is coming soon.  Visa, Master Card, American Express and Discovery Card can be added along with some loyalty cards. Unlike Google Wallet, in Android Pay, payment can only be done if your bank is registered with Android Pay. Google said that it will keep adding to it’s number of banks and cards all the time.

So how does it work? Simple. Download the app from the Google Playstore, then add your credit and debit card details.The stores and apps that use Android Pay can easily accept your payment. The list of stores that have accepted it looks somewhat like this

List of stores accepting Android Pay 

Payment is simple: You just have to bring your mobile near a contactless terminal and it’s done in a jiffy. One disadvantage of NFC based payments is that your phone has to be equipped with the chip. In case of Android it’s generally a wide variety of hardware, mostly those operation on Android KitKat 4.4 and higher, while for Apple Pay, it is just the iPhone 6 and higher. HTC was quick to work with Google and a number of HTC models are now ready and compatible for Android Pay.

Google has re-released a new update of Google Wallet which is strictly restricted to payments between family and friends like Venmo. So any loyalty programs, gift cards previously stored on Wallet will now move to Android Pay.

Android Pay usage

Apart from helping to purchase physical goods, it will also have in-app payment facilities, but this part of the platform is to come at a later date, Google did not really specify when. 

Here is a video on how to use Android Pay.

The greatest concern is security and in this respect, both Google and Apple share a similar approach. They use tokenization which is basically a virtual copy of your debit and credit card is created, which is shown to the merchants. So basically, when you make a transaction on Android Pay, it is between you and Google. Recent transactions get listed automatically along with a merchant’s address and phone number. Plus if you lose your phone, you can wipe all your details clean or reset your password with the help of Android Device Manager. Google also warned that the app is not designed to work on rooted devices.

Android Pay will come preloaded on phones. Google has the support of three major US carriers – Verizon, AT&T and T – Mobile. So that is a big benefit for Google over Apple or Samsung. Retail workers at carrier stores have been trained to help customers get familiar with the app upon purchasing a new phone. Google is goig all out to make sure that Android Pay is at par with Apple Pay and Samsung Pay and so far it has been pretty successful.  

Google announces Sundar Pichai as the next CEO

Pichai Sundararajan, better known as Sundar Pichai, has just been announced as the next CEO of Google which is now a subsidiary of Alphabet, a conglomerate of companies founded by the same duo of Larry Page and Sergey Brin, companies such as Calico and Life Sciences.

Sundar Pichai's promotion to Google's top job continues the trend of global technology giants' bosses being Indian immigrants, a trend which was started with Satya Nadella becoming the CEO of Microsoft.

Sundar Pichai

An extremely brilliant IIT Kharagpur Metallurgy Engineering passout, who moved to the US and attained a degree of Master of Science from Stanford University as well as a business degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Sundar Pichai formerly worked as an engineer at Applied Materials and later moved to management consulting at McKinsey & Company, before joining Google.

He led the team which created the Google Chrome browser, the most used search engine. In 2013, Larry Page handed over the responsibilities of Android to him. He is a visionary and has great relationships with people, something which Larry Page could see. Pichai also oversaw the development of Google apps like Gmail, Calendar.

Sundar Pichai inherits the top job at a time when Google is facing great competition from Facebook and Amazon. Inspite of Google's varying range of products, it's main source of income comes from advertising, but there are growing concerns over the fact that people are switching from desktop screens to mobiles more, as a result of which the industry has seen a decline in 'costs per click'.

People like Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella proves that meritocracy is still valued in this world where India, inspite of producing tech talents in thousands are not being able to keep them in the country because of internal politics and a clear discrimination. It is high time a sense of mentorship is introduced in the tech companies in the country, just like Larry Page has been mentoring Pichai for so long before making the call.