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Google Wallet, which lets online shoppers make purchases without having to enter credit card numbers each time, could soon be available to Google Glass users, allowing them to make purchases with voice commands or gestures.
The pending addition of Google Wallet services to Google Glass users was reported in a TechCrunch story on May 5, citing a “source close to the company.”
“Google Wallet is coming to Glass soon,” the story reported. “… Google is currently testing a way for Glass users to send money to their friends through Wallet by simply using their voices to ask Glass to ‘send money.’ The company is testing this service internally right now, but chances are it will launch to all Glass users in the near future.”
Presently, the only people testing the fledgling service are Glass users who can sign in through Google’s corporate network, the report stated. “From there, they can install the Wallet glassware, and after setting the service up from there, they are ready to send money from Glass.”
The user fee for Google Wallet transactions is 2.9 percent of the transaction or 30 cents, whichever is higher.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment about the Wallet services for Glass.
Google Wallet just gained some new order tracking features in March, allowing users to receive status reports and purchase information right on their devices after they make purchases. So far, the improvements are available to users in the United States who are using Android devices running Version 4.0 or higher or Apple iOS devices running Version 6.0 or higher. Customers are also now able to see receipts sent to their Gmail accounts when they are inside the Google Wallet app. And they can view shipping updates, including whether their package is out for delivery, delayed or delivered.
In November 2013, Google gave Google Wallet customers in the United States another convenient way to make purchases using the funds in their Wallet accounts by offering a new Google Wallet Card, a debit card with no annual or monthly fees. The Google-branded debit card lets Wallet customers take money out through ATMs, make purchases anywhere MasterCard is accepted and receive quick notifications on their mobile devices to track their expenditures, according to an earlier eWEEK report.
While there are no fees from Google for transferring money to or from the card using a bank checking or savings account, a fee of 2.9 percent is levied when a user sends or receives money to or from a credit or debit card, according to Google. The minimum fee for such a transaction is 30 cents. Some ATM operators also charge an ATM fee to use the card, according to Google.
In September 2013, Google released a new version of its Google Wallet app for Android phones that included improvements for sending money to others, getting special savings on online purchases and tracking purchases. The new version of the Google Wallet app rolled out for all Android phones Version 2.3 and higher.
In May 2013, Google announced that it integrated its Wallet payment services with Gmail, allowing users to safely and securely send money to a recipient in an email. The service, which allows up to $10,000 to be sent in a single transaction, works even if the recipient does not have a Gmail address. The new Google Wallet app also received that capability.