Google Wallet now Requires You to Unlock your Phone for Payments
Just recently, I went into my usual convenience store to grab some quick groceries. Upon tapping my Pixel on the POS scanner to pay with Google Wallet, my phone suddenly asked for a fingerprint verification before allowing me to pay for the items. It turns out that a lot of other Android users have been seeing this new change on their devices as well, based on several reports online.
Previously, most tap-to-pay transactions on Android phones via Google Wallet did not require a user to unlock their phone, and instead automatically processed the transaction. There were some exceptions previously, such as payment amounts which go above a certain threshold depending on which country the feature is being used in.
With this new development however, it looks like Google is implementing this additional security feature for more users, as reflected in a statement on its official support page:
“Coming soon, your credit and debit card won’t be charged for retail payments unless you’ve recently used a verification method, like your fingerprint or PIN. Some users may already need to verify to make a payment. If you’re asked to verify it’s you, complete verification steps on your device to make a payment.”
This is similar to what other companies like Apple have been doing, which would usually require a user to unlock their device with Face ID before allowing them to continue with their tap-to-pay transaction.