Google Wallet will come pre-installed on carrier devices this year with help from Softcard
After carriers shunned Google’s NFC-based payment system 3 years ago in favor of rival mobile payment service Isis Mobile Wallet (later renamed to Softcard), Google Wallet is making a comeback in a big way. We initially heard rumors last month that Google would be swooping in to buy up struggling Softcard, but it seems they’re simply acquiring some of their “exciting” technology instead.
The new partnership makes Google Wallet more carrier friendly and in a blog post, Google announced that Wallet will soon come pre-installed on all Android devices, KitKat on up. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — who launched Isis in November of 2013 — are all on board (Sprint was on board with Google Wallet from the get-go), giving Android users one less step when it comes to setting up Wallet’s tap-to-pay NFC payments on their device.
Google Wallet is now poised to go against Samsung’s mobile wallet (they recently acquired LoopPay) and Apple Pay in the mobile payment space. Suddenly things have just gotten really interesting.