Google is phasing out its standalone payments app in the US. Starting June 4, the standalone payments app GPay will no longer be available on the Google Play Store or work on existing devices. This change also marks the discontinuation of peer-to-peer (P2P) payment facility in the US. GPay, previously working on Android home screens, automatically signed out users in the US.
GPay Will Be Available For Users In India, Singapore
As of June 4, 2024, GPay will no longer function in the US. However, it will still be available to users in India and Singapore, where Google will continue to tailor the service to meet the “specific needs of those markets.”
Upon trying to log back in, users received a message stating: “The Google Pay US app is no longer available. You can still tap to pay using the Google Wallet app”, says a report by 9to5Google.
Google is realigning its strategy to unify mobile payment services under the Google Wallet app. Users can now handle their payment methods, make in-store tap-to-pay transactions, and pay online directly via Google Wallet.
Earlier in February, the tech giant had confirmed that “GPay” will not be offered in the US after June.
Google is now prioritising Google Wallet to digitise all the contents of a physical wallet, even though it lacks finance tracking features. Notably, “Google Pay” remains the term for the service used when making physical or online purchases with your phone.
As of June 4, 2024, GPay will no longer function in the US. However, it will still be available to users in India and Singapore, where Google will continue to tailor the service to meet the specific needs of those markets.
“Google has invested in enhancing payment experiences, such as improving Google Pay autofill in Chrome, facilitating public transit payments, and expanding the types of passes stored in Wallet. Further improvements are planned for the future,” Google wrote in a blog post.
Initially unveiled in 2020, the revamped Google Pay aimed to simplify financial transactions, enhance security and provide useful features. Although there were ambitions for a “mobile-first bank account,” these plans did not materialise.
