Back in 2022, Google Wallet pretty much replaced Google Pay as the main tap-and-go app for the tech giant – except in several countries including the US. But a recent announcement is finally putting an end to the payment app.
Google Pay will be discontinued on June 4, 2024 in the US and in most other regions other than Singapore and India, according to the official Google blog. For those who still use Pay, Google asserts that Wallet offers the same features as well as new ones such as digital items like transit cards, driver’s licenses, state IDs, and more. Google states that Google Wallet is “used five times more than the Google Pay app in the U.S.,” meaning that most users seem to have made the transition already.
If you’re using the Google Pay app right now, however, you can still view and transfer your balance until the cutoff point, which includes transferring it over to your bank account. After the cutoff point, you can only transfer balances to bank accounts through the Google Pay website. Also, you will not be able to send, receive, or request money from others through the app after June 4.
The transition could be an issue
The news of Google Pay officially ending shouldn’t be a surprise to most people, as Google Wallet had already taken over years ago. I was honestly shocked that Pay was still even around at this point, especially since Wallet is the superior app thanks to its wealth of features and support.
However, there is a major hurdle that Google will need to overcome and that’s the branding issue. While most people are using Google Wallet, that doesn’t mean that’s what they’re calling it. It’s still widely known as Google Pay, thanks to how close it sounds to Apple Pay, and many retailers are using the Pay sticker.
Google Wallet is easily one of the best mobile payment apps out there and it would be a shame if it lost brand recognition because so many users aren’t even aware of the name change. Especially if, instead of a proper information campaign notifying people of the switch, Google simply gives out new stickers to replace old ones in retailers.
While that is a valid part of the strategy of converting people over, it can’t be the only one, or else there will be serious confusion and even mistrust. If the average user doesn’t understand that Wallet is a simple conversion over Pay, there’s a good chance they may not want to trust that app for future purchases. And it’s even worse since data theft is so rampant nowadays, which could contribute to even more mistrust.
It doesn't help that Google had a failed physical card that it stopped supporting, which arguably damaged the brand even more. Hopefully, the tech giant has a plan for this transition or it will spell big trouble in the long run.
