GoKawiil
Tech News
Users on Reddit and other forums have reported intermittent or complete failures of tap-to-pay on Pixel phones since mid last month, affecting devices from the Pixel 9 series onward, including the Pixel 11 and Pixel 10 Pro. ZDNET says Google has not yet acknowledged the bug or issued an official fix, though restarting the phone appears to resolve the problem for some users.
Google Wallet now connects to Gemini, letting the AI assistant access boarding passes, event tickets, loyalty cards, and rewards stored in the app. Users who link financial accounts via Plaid can also ask Gemini to analyze transactions, summarize spending, and suggest budgets. The feature is currently limited to US users aged 18 and older, and Gemini cannot make purchases or alter connected accounts.
Multiple Pixel owners across the 8, 9, 10, and 11 series say contactless payments and transit passes have been working inconsistently since last week, with a restart being the only apparent fix. The cause remains unidentified, and reports include devices running the latest Android and Google Play Services builds.
Throughout 2026, Google added several new features to Google Wallet beyond payment cards, including a full interface redesign. New additions include package order tracking (requiring Gmail tracking to be enabled) and a June partnership with the TSA making Wallet the first digital wallet compatible with PreCheck Touchless ID at 65 US airports. Android Authority has reported the app may also come to iOS soon.
Discord announced it will introduce a new age-assurance system that avoids requiring most users to submit ID documents. The company said over 90% of users won't be asked to confirm their age, with most sorted automatically into age groups, while those who do need verification can use methods like Google Wallet, Apple App Store records, or a reusable credential called AgeKey. Discord says vendors handling verification data won't use it for ad targeting or AI training.
Samsung phone owners have access to both Samsung Wallet and Google Wallet, which overlap heavily in basic functions like storing cards, tickets, passes, keys and IDs, as well as scanning physical cards via camera. Despite this overlap, each app has distinct strengths, with Samsung and Google diverging in areas such as ID support and cryptocurrency handling.
Google Wallet payment failures often stem from disabled NFC settings, incomplete card setup, or phone cases interfering with the NFC antenna. Users can troubleshoot by checking Payment Setup in the app, confirming NFC is enabled in phone settings, and testing whether removing a case resolves tap-to-pay problems. Unlike Apple Wallet, Google Wallet doesn't require opening the app since it defaults to a preset card.
Apple Wallet and Google Wallet now let users store a state driver's license or ID digitally, with built-in options to share only limited information—such as confirming someone is over 21—instead of a full birth date, address and license number. Both companies say the data is encrypted, stored locally on the device rather than in the cloud, and requires biometric or passcode authentication before any information is shared with a verifier.
Both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet let users store payment cards, loyalty cards, tickets and NFC-based passes like hotel or car keys, with setup requiring only a few taps and bank verification. The key difference lies in flexibility: Apple Wallet generally requires official integration from airlines, retailers or other providers, though iOS 27 now allows custom passes for unsupported items. Google Wallet has long supported importing tickets from Gmail and includes an 'Everything Else' feature for digitizing photos of any card, such as gym or library passes.
Google has rolled out Play Services version 26.35, which lets Android users tap their physical transit cards against an NFC-enabled phone to import the card and its balance into Google Wallet. The update also adds a redesigned 'Add a card' success screen and various account management and location-sharing improvements. Separately, Google Play Store version 53.1 introduces a new navigation bar and short feature descriptions in the 'Similar Apps' section.
Motorola has released the Moto Watch Ultra, its first premium smartwatch to run Google's Wear OS instead of the custom software used on its earlier Moto Watch. The 46mm stainless steel device uses a Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 1 chip, features a 1.5-inch OLED display, and comes in black or silver with interchangeable leather and silicone straps, an IP68 rating, and 5ATM water resistance.
Google explains that using Find Hub to mark an Android device as lost will log it out of the owner's Google account and strip all cards from Google Wallet, with an option to show a contact message on the lock screen. If account access isn't possible, users can lock the phone remotely via android.com/lock by verifying their identity and phone number. Samsung devices with SmartThings Find offer a similar safeguard, automatically locking Samsung Wallet and pausing transactions until identity is confirmed.