Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Mobile

    Google Testing Hands Free Mobile-Payment App

    By
    Jaikumar Vijayan
    -
    March 3, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Google Hands Free mobile payment app

      Google has begun pilot-testing a new mobile-payment application that will let smartphone users pay for purchases by verbally providing their initials to the cashier at the point-of-sale system.

      The company is inviting Android and iOS users in San Francisco’s South Bay area to try out the new app, dubbed Hands Free, at a small number of participating merchants in the area. Among those who have agreed to participate in the trial run are McDonald’s, Papa John’s and a handful of local restaurants in the area.

      The pilot program is open to users of Android devices running version 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and higher of the operating system and owners of iPhone 4S and later versions. The app, available for download here, contains a list of all participating merchants in the South Bay area. Users will get up to $5 off their first purchase for testing the service.

      Some of the participating retailers will also be testing an early-stage Google visual identification technology that involves the use of an in-store camera to confirm the identity of a Hands Free user based on their profile picture in the app. The goal is to enable an even faster checkout process, compared with the one requiring users to verbally say their initials to the cashier, according to Google.

      “Imagine if you could rush through a drive-thru without reaching for your wallet, or pick up a hot dog at the ballpark without fumbling to pass coins or your credit card to the cashier,” Pali Bhat, Google senior manager of product management, said in a blog post announcing the pilot test.

      Hands Free relies on a combination of Bluetooth LE (low energy), WiFi and the location-tracking services on smartphones to detect when a Hands Free app user is at or near a participating store. To pay for a purchase, a user has to inform the cashier of his or her intention to pay with Google. The casher will confirm the identity of the individual by asking for their initials and looking at the profile picture in the Hands Free app.

      Neither Bhat nor the Hands Free app’s Web page offered any details on how exactly the transaction would be completed after the user’s identity is confirmed.

      But a previous description of the app, when rumors of it first surfaced last year, suggest that it involves the use of a separate Hands Free payment device at the checkout location. The device will display all Hands Free users located in the store or in the immediate vicinity. When a user approaches the cashier and announces his or her intention to pay with Google, the cashier matches that user with the appropriate profile presented on the device to complete the transaction.

      Google has not described how it will protect the mobile app from being misused.

      According to the company, users subscribed for the mobile-payment service will get immediate notification of any transaction against their Hands Free account, presumably so they can quickly spot any unauthorized transactions quickly.

      According to an FAQ on the Hands Free Website, cashiers can also only charge customers when they are near the store. “The cashier then verifies your identity to make sure that they are charging the right person,” the FAQ noted. “You’ll also be alerted of any unusual activity. Suspicious transactions won’t go through without your approval.”

      For Google, Hands Free represents yet another effort to spark broad consumer interest in its mobile-payment technologies. When Google launched Wallet in 2011, it was the first out of the gate with a mobile-payment app. Last year the company began rolling out Android Pay, a mobile payment tap-and-pay service it launched to compete more directly with Apple Pay. Google claims an average of 1.5 million new sign-ups for Android Pay every month in the United States and more than 2 million locations that accept the app.

      Even so, Google as well Apple, Samsung and others with mobile-payment apps have had less success getting consumers to use their technologies than many analysts had predicted.

      On the optimistic side, eMarketer had predicted that mobile payments would triple from around $8.7 billion in 2015 to $27 billion by the end of this year.

      However, Accenture suggested the growth could be somewhat less dramatic. In a survey last year, Accenture found that while U.S. consumers are extremely aware of mobile payment options, barely 18 percent use it regularly. That number was just 1 percentage point higher than the proportion of consumers using mobile-payment services regularly in 2014.

      Jaikumar Vijayan
      Vijayan is an award-winning independent journalist and tech content creation specialist covering data security and privacy, business intelligence, big data and data analytics.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×