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Google Wallet just got a lot more popular thanks to Apple Pay, but one aspect of the service will soon be shut down. Rather quietly Google has revealed plans to shut down the Google Wallet API for digital goods. You’ll still be able to use Tap to Pay in the real world and buy Android apps, games, and other stuff from places like Newegg. This mainly affects things like Facebook games.
There has been no official announcement made except for a page on the Google Support site. Here’s a brief snippet:
When we first launched Google Wallet for digital goods, we wanted to make it simple for users and merchants to buy and sell online. The industry has matured a lot since then, providing a number of alternative payment solutions to choose from.
As we continue to evolve and improve our merchant tools to meet new market challenges in the payments space, we are writing to let you know we will be retiring the Google Wallet for digital goods API on March 2, 2015.
If you’re a merchant you can check out the post to see what this means for you. We’re a little surprised to see Google abandon this aspect of Wallet. Just to clarify again: you will still be able to us Tap t Pay, buy Android apps, make in-app purchases, and those sort of things.
UPDATE: We’ve edited the text to clarify what exactly will be shut down.
[via Venture Beat]
Damn that sucks
Eh, not really. This is just the API for digital goods. Think in-app purchases for online games. You’ll still be able to buy physical goods from online retailers that support Google Wallet. For the most part, this will effect virtually no one, which is why Google is shutting it down.
Oh thanks for clearing that up.
Could you make that a little more clearer then? I was left going “Wait, but what about the people I know that sell things online with Google Wallet?”
You’ll still be able to buy Widgets from http://www.superawesomewidgetstore.com with Google Wallet because they’re physical goods. If http://www.superawesomewidgetstore.com invented their own virtual currency called Widget Bucks, you wouldn’t be able to use Google Wallet to buy those virtual goods after the change.
It’d be totally awesome for that to not get lost in the comment section :D
Wait!! If my understanding is correct, I won’t be able to use Google Wallet to buy Riot Points on League of Legends? OMG!! I always choose Google Wallet…
Meh… Paypal is still an option.
That`s what I been using.. PayPal no the Wallet… It`s a lot easier too.
It’s affecting me…*sigh* This was literally THE BEST solution for me…oh well, I’ll have to hack up instant buy to work with what I’m using now then.
online retailers that support google wallet, sell on their website using the “Buy With Google” google wallet API….. this is what they’re talking about… what you said just seems contradictory since online retailers do use the API on their website…
It’s a different API. Wallet has more than one. https://developers.google.com/wallet/
That doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t they be losing money?
Why would eliminating an outdated API hardly anyone uses cause them to lose money? If anything, they’ll save money not having to maintain it anymore.
No no no, Google Wallet being dropped is not the case at all here–just a misunderstanding.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+RonAmadeo/posts/DqN6UX6zryx
They’re literally just dropping an old relic that was apart of the API.
Will I still be able to pay for Dominos pizza through Google Wallet in the Dominos app?
Yes, that app is from the Play Store. That functionality isn’t going away.
What are the benefits off paying with a phone instead of your card? Google wallet is not available where I live so I never got to try and pay with my phone.
Not much, but I do like having it ready in case I forget my wallet. If it was more prevalent, it would be nice to take the credit cards out of my wallet completely.
They say it’s supposed to be more secure than the magnetic strips, should be safer if lost or stolen, and there’s also some discounts and loyalty card features. Overall, it’s not too exciting right now.
We no longer use a magnetic strip on credit cards in the Netherlands we use a chip instead.
@Diviance that’s pretty useful.
This is effectively just storing the proximity card version of Chip-and-Pin in your phone, using Google as a proxy to hide multiple real cards behind a single virtual one.
Using Google wallet to pay makes it virtually impossible for someone to steal your card information and use it
For Google Wallet, you not only have your standard credit card protections, but Google themselves has a 100% fraud guarantee thing where you aren’t liable for anything done through Google Wallet in case something does happen. Nice to be double protected.
this has nothing to do with phone tap-to-pay payments, and has nothing to do with the google wallet card. This is referring to companies who accept payment for products via google wallet merchant account. that is the only thing disappearing here. You can still tap to pay with your phone or use your physical google wallet card, and you can still send and receive cash through google wallet (but not for merchants anymore)