Amazingly, Google has a new application. OK, you’re probably not surprised. Google has always had an ongoing, non-repeating relationship with the homemade apps that Android phones use to access its services. In particular, Google often likes to make major changes to them, rebrand them, or abruptly kill them off without explanation. The latest Google app update is truly a revival: Google Wallet is back to storing all your cards and personal information.
“But wait,” you ask, “is Google Pay something? Hasn’t it done that already? ” Yes, that’s right. In fact, when the Google Pay app launched, it replaced the old versions of Google Wallet and Android Pay on mobile. But at the IO event in May, Google announced announced that they will be bringing back Wallet with some new features not available in Pay.
These are the differences. Google Pay may store credit card information and link it to digital payment services like PayPal. It can also hold airline boarding passes, proof of immunization passes and some transit passes. The new Google Wallet can do all of that too, in addition to storing your driver’s license and unlocking your car if you drive a digital key-enabled vehicle.
The Google Pay app on your phone will soon be replaced by the Google Wallet app, and all your payment information and other things you’ve stored in Google Pay will show up in Google Wallet. Google will also check your email for gift cards or any corporate loyalty programs you’ve signed up for. (For example, when I logged into Google Wallet for the first time, it immediately pulled out my Southwest Airlines express rewards number, something I completely forgot. had.) Just know that if you delete it. emails containing that information, those data will disappear from the Wallet.
For most countries, these new features will only be added as an update to the existing Google Pay app. But if you’re in the US or Singapore, Wallet and Pay will be two separate apps going forward. Confuse? Right. The essence of Google? A lot like that. It’s odd that Google combined its two video chat apps just last month.
If you’re confused, just download and use the Google Wallet app. It has the latest features, just like Google Pay, and it can be used to make purchases anywhere Google Pay is accepted.
Keeping track of constantly changing apps can be a headache, so switching from an analog wallet to a Digital Wallet (or similar Apple Wallet if you’re using an iPhone) is a good idea. These digital wallets keep things organized, encrypt your purchases, and offer more security than a perishable piece of leather stuffed in a stack of credit cards.
Here’s some other device news from around the web.
Galaxy Unpacked Is Nigh (Again)
Samsung has announced that its Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on Wednesday, August 10. This is the biennial ceremony that Samsung uses to reveal its updated phones and devices. . (Yes, there’s only one Unpacked event in February.) Expect to see new Galaxy phones and tablets. In the invitation images, Samsung is showing off at least one new foldable.
Samsung said that of all the foldables it sold, 70% of them were Galaxy Flip models. It’s the smaller, phone-sized device of the bunch, and since it’s so well-made, we’ll most likely see more from Samsung in similar form factors. Stay tuned on the day of the event for WIRED coverage of everything Samsung will announce.
Prime-ary Care
Unlike its ever-shrinking name, Amazon, the company continues to expand. This week, the Bezos-born empire announced that it has acquired One Medical, a company that provides online and in-person healthcare to enroll patients in more than a dozen US cities. . The nearly $4 billion deal gives Amazon access to the data of nearly 800,000 patients across the US. That said, Amazon may be full of One Medical’s rough history. Last year, the company faced a scandal when it was accused of prioritizing Covid vaccines for leadership and senior levels over those at higher risk of the disease.
Many can point to the irony of Amazon’s sudden investment in people’s health, seeing that the company is currently being investigated by federal prosecutors for safety violations in its warehouse.
The exciting future of Facebook
Facebook may have changed its name to Meta, but that hasn’t kept the company controversies alive. Recently, Facebook decided to once again change the way feeds work, in an attempt to catch up with TikTok. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been ousted again over a lawsuit over the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal. And Amazon is suing the admins of more than 10,000 Facebook groups for allegedly fake reviews. Then there’s whatever is going on with Facebook’s vision of the metaverse.
Joining the Gadget Labs podcast this week are Shirin Ghaffary from Recode and Alex Heath with The Verge. They talk about the big decisions from Facebook’s early days that led to the company’s tumultuous transition to Meta, and what lies ahead for the platform — and everyone who uses it.
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