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Report: Funds stored in Google Wallet are now FDIC insured

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Most of the money transfer services that have popped up in Silicon Valley over the last several years don’t directly offer any federal-level insurance, and Google Wallet—until today—was a pretty good example. But now, according to a report from Yahoo Finance, Google is adding FDIC insurance to the money you keep in your Wallet Balance by storing your funds in various FDIC-insured banking institutions…
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Google Wallet for Android updated w/ Maps integration & new transaction search tools

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Google announced today that it has started rolling out an update to Google Wallet on Android with a couple of notable new features. First off, Wallet on Android now packs Google Maps integration. With this integration, you can see exactly where you performed any given transaction on an embedded map. This feature, Google says, will make it easier to notice any sort of suspicious activity that occurs.


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Softcard is shutting down March 31, Google Wallet to fill its shoes

Pay with your phone | Softcard™ 2015-03-05 10-02-49

Google announced a couple of weeks ago that it had acquired some technology and IP from Softcard, and today the company has taken to its website to announce that the service will be getting shuttered completely as of March 31st.

This news comes after rumors started spreading that Google would be re-introducing its payments service at Google I/O under the name “Android Pay“. Google’s Chrome and Android lead Sundar Pichai confirmed the existence of such a service earlier this week at Mobile World Congress.

The update, seen on Softcard’s website, reads:

Important News! We are pleased to let you know that Google has acquired technology from Softcard to power the next generation of mobile wallets.

What does this mean for you? As of 3/31 your Softcard app will no longer work. You can continue to use the Softcard app until 3/31. After that your Account will be closed.

To keep using a digital wallet app download Google Wallet now.

For more information read our FAQs.

For those that still use Softcard, the company recommends that you head over to Google’s website to download Google Wallet.

Google buying ‘some’ tech & IP from Softcard, Wallet to be pre-installed by select carriers

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Google has announced this morning that the company is planning to pre-install its Google Wallet mobile payments app on the phones of some carriers, notably those sold by AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless. While Google was reportedly in talks to acquire the mobile payments company Softcard—previously known as ISIS— earlier this year, the Mountain View company says that it is at this time simply acquiring “some” technology and intellectual property…


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Amazon fires its Mobile Wallet app less than 6 months after its launch

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Amazon has closed its beta Mobile Wallet app today, marking a step away from the mobile payment space for the Seattle, Washington-based company. We first told you about the app, which served as a hub for gift and loyalty cards, in July of 2014. The app launched in beta and was sadly incapable compared to the app offerings of other companies like Google Wallet and PayPal, not even giving users the ability to load debit or credit cards.


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Use Google Wallet at these 14 retailers to save some cash

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Google is currently recruiting Wallet users with payouts and you can now throw deals in the mix as well. The company recently announced its new “Buy with Google” promotion, which offers discounts from a group of retailers including: B and H, Beautylish, CheapTicket, EAT24, Expedia, Fancy, JackThreads, LivingSocial, Newegg, Pose, Rue La La, Vinted USA, Sidecar Ride and Wish.


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Google Wallet adds recurring bank transfers for automatically adding money, low balance alerts

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Google today announced it’s adding new ways to add money to its Google Wallet service in addition to some new features that will make keeping an eye on your balance easier. The app also appears to be getting a bit of a Material Design update on Android (as pictured above).

First up, you will now be able to setup automatic bank transfers that will ensure there is always money to spend in your Google Wallet account. The recurring transfers allow you to schedule weekly, bi-weekly or monthly deposits and can be cancelled at any time:
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Bitcoin wallet app Blockchain for Android updated with improved sending, merchant map and more

Blockchain Android July 2014

The popular Bitcoin wallet app Blockchain received a major update over the weekend with several new features, including improved sending of bitcoins and a map view of merchants that accept the cryptocurrency. The update is centered upon making Bitcoin more accessible, in addition to educating new users about the importance of setting two-step authentication and other security measures. 
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Google Wallet update for Android and iOS introduces multiple accounts and performance fixes

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Not stopping at its Camera app, Google has also rolled out an update for its Android and iOS Wallet apps. While both versions aren’t identical, the biggest standout of today’s software releases is the ability to use multiple Google accounts from within Wallet’s Android app. To accommodate this new addition, Mountain View has made a few adjustments to the payment software’s UI. User accounts are accessible via a pull-down panel on the upper left-hand corner of the app, along with a slide-out section for your list of cards and bank accounts. Rounding things out is the ability to receive package shipment updates on purchases made with Wallet.

iOS users rocking Google’s mobile payment system are being treated to unidentified enhancements to the app’s loyalty programs and orders features, along with some token performance fixes. If you haven’t updated Wallet yet, you can pull down this new software from your mobile platform’s respective source link below.

(via Google Play, iTunes)

JPMorgan Chase CEO sees Google as a challenging bank

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JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon isn’t just keeping an eye on other financial institutions like Wells Fargo and Bank of American. The company’s CEO is also sizing up Google and its online services like Wallet. “We move $10 trillion a day,” Dimon said today at the Euromoney Saudi Arabia conference in Riyadh. “We’re one of the largest payments systems in the world. We’re going to have competition from Google and Facebook and somebody else.”


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Google Wallet adds “Orders” feature to track online purchases using receipts from Gmail

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Google-Wallet-Orders-featureGoogle announced today on its Google Commerce blog that it’s rolling out an update for the Google Wallet mobile apps that includes a new “Orders” feature for tracking online purchases. Google says the feature will let you stay on top of your online orders (including past purchases) as well as get notifications for status updates regarding deliveries. How will Google know what you’ve purchased? In order to track your recent online orders, the feature pulls receipts out of your Gmail account :

Once you activate Orders in Google Wallet, you’ll be able to see any receipts sent to your Gmail right in the Google Wallet app. We’ve also worked with primary package carriers in the US so that when your order status is updated, you’ll get notified of the update through Wallet. So whether your order is shipped, out for delivery, or delayed, you’ll never wonder about the status of your order.

The app also includes “products you’ve ordered, merchant contact information, and shipping details in the app” for your purchases and links to quickly contact retailers.

Google said the feature is rolling out to Android and iOS users in the US this week. You can activate Orders by tapping “Activate” under “Track your orders” or by tapping “Orders” in the app’s main menu.

Google Checkout is checking out

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Yet another Google service bites the dust.  This one’s not as cut and dry as Google Reader, for instance, because some of the Google Checkout functionality will transfer to Google Wallet.

Merchants can continue to accept payments using Google Checkout until November 20, 2013.

  • If you don’t have your own payment processing, you will need to transition to a different solution within six months. To make things easier, we’ve partnered with BraintreeShopify and Freshbooks to offer you discounted migration options.

  • If you are a U.S. merchant that does have payment processing, you can apply for Google Wallet Instant Buy, which offers a fast buying experience to Google Wallet shoppers.

At some point, Google’s brand is going to get tarnished by these closures. How am I going to feel comfortable getting behind a new Google product if I know there’s a more than 50% chance it will close? 
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Sprint adds Google Wallet support to HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 and Note 2

Sprint has been working with Google to expand support for Google Wallet on its devices and has added the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, and Samsung Galaxy Note 2 to the list of compatible devices.

Both the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 are widely considered leading Android smartphones currently so this should create a solid platform of support for Google Wallet.

Google Wallet allows users to make purchases by placing their phones near receivers built for NFC (near field communication) and supports Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.

(via AndroidGuys)

Google integrates Google Wallet with Gmail for sending and receiving money

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Following its I/O keynote address today, Google just announced on its commerce blog that it will soon be integrating Google send_money-Google-wallet-GmailWallet features into Gmail to allow users to send and receive money. The feature will be available to those with a Google Wallet account and will initially be available to users 18 and older in the US:

Google Wallet is now integrated with Gmail, so you can quickly and securely send money to friends and family directly within Gmail — even if they don’t have a Gmail address. It’s free to send money if your bank account is linked to Google Wallet or using your Google Wallet balance, and low fees apply to send money using your linked credit or debit card.

Google will be adding a new $ icon next to the paperclip icon for attachements that will allow users to “attach money” to messages in Gmail by simply entering the amount and clicking send.

Google noted that the feature will first only be available on the desktop, but that users can also send money through wallet.google.com on mobile devices.

Look for the feature to start rolling out in the coming weeks but earlier access will be granted to those that receive money from others using the feature. You can learn more about sending money with Gmail here.

New Hangouts coming to Gmail (optionally) starting today

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Google today announced today that Google’s new hangouts service/experience  would be available in Gmail:

What does this mean for your Gmail? You now have the option to switch from the current version of chat to Hangouts. Simply click “Try it out” next to your chat list to switch to Hangouts and give your chat an instant facelift (literally!). You’ll now see the profile photos in the order of your most recent conversations. With Hangouts, you’ll also be able to quickly send messages, have video calls with up to ten people at once, and share photos. You can start a conversation with just one friend or even a whole group.

Google announces conversational Voice Search coming to desktop through Chrome

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Google today announced that it is revamping the Google voice search feature available in Chrome. While users have always been able to search with their voice through Chrome, Google is attempting to make the service work more like it does through Google Search apps and Google Now on mobile devices.

Chrome will now include “conversational search” with a brand new interface that doesn’t require users to click in order to search with their voice. Like on mobile devices with Google Now, users will now be able to simple say “Google” in order to activate voice search.

Today, we previewed what this conversational experience will look like in Chrome on your desktops and laptops. Soon, you’ll be able to just say, hands-free, “OK Google, will it be sunny in Santa Cruz this weekend?” and get a spoken answer. Then, you’ll be able to continue the conversation and just follow up with “how far is it from here?” if you care about the drive or “how about Monterey?” if you want to check weather somewhere else, and get Google to tell you the answer.

The new interface, as pictured above from Google’s demo of the feature, is much like the voice search interface for Google Now on Android devices.

While not a full blown Google Now experience yet, the feature will allow users to pull up flight information, email, calendar entries and more by taking advantage of Gmail field trial features that some users have already opted in to try.

The new feature will be coming to Macs and PCs through Chrome soon.

Google also briefly showed off some new content coming to Google Now including new cards for Reminders, Music Albums, TV Shows, Books, Public Transit, and Video games rolling out today:
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Google wants their datacenter to become your +Photos darkroom

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Some pretty incredible new features of Google+ Photos today that will probably be burying Picasa once and for all. Using their algorithms, they will enhance and help sort photos saving time and energy with the net result being incredible photo albums.

Google announces Google Play game services coming to Android, iOS & web today

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We knew from leaks in the weeks leading up to I/O that Google was planning some gaming related announcements and today the company has officially announced the service in a press release ahead of its Google I/O keynote taking place now. Not only will the service allow Android developers to build in real-time multiplayer, social features, achievements, and leaderboards while storing game saves and settings in the cloud, the SDK for Google Play game services will also be available to iOS and web developers.

Google noted a few titles for Android have already been updated with the feature including World of Goo, Super Stickman Golf 2, Beach Buggy Blitz, Kingdom Rush, Eternity Warriors 2, and Osmos.

Not surprisingly, the cross-platform gaming service will also build in Google+ integration to track high scores, achievements and more:

-Achievements that increase engagement and promote different styles of play.

-Social and public leaderboards that seamlessly use Google+ circles to track high scores across friends and across the world.

-Cloud saves that provide a simple and streamlined storage API to store game saves and settings. Now players never have to replay Level 1 again.

-Real-time multiplayer for easy addition of cooperative or competitive game play on Android devices. Using G+ Circles a game can have up to 4 simultaneous friends or auto-matched players in a game session together with support for additional players coming soon.

Google’s full press release below:
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Google confirms head of Google Wallet to leave company later this year

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google-wallet-mobile-atmAfter reports last year that Google Wallet’s co-founding engineer Rob von Behren had left the company to join competitor Square, Google today confirmed it has now lost another important employee related to its mobile payment efforts.

Google provided the following statement to VentureBeat, confirming that Osama Bedier, who was up until today chief of the company’s Google Wallet business, will be leaving the company “this year to pursue other opportunities.” Bedier joined Google back in 2011 after leaving eBay.

“We can confirm that Osama Bedier has decided to leave Google this year to pursue other opportunities,” said spokesman Nate Tyler. “He’s achieved a lot during his time here and we wish him all the best in his next endeavor. “

Google made a point of noting that it remains committed to making payments easier for users despite Bedier’s departure:
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Google Wallet updated with refreshed UI and performance improvements

Google Wallet has been updated today with a few new features including enhancements to the overall user interface. As for the UI, the app’s navigation has been moved around slightly with loaded cards stored in the “My Wallet” tab apart from your default card.

Google also noted “improvements to the user interface, application stability, and battery life” in the update’s release notes and highlighted support for all cards from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover.

Google Wallet is available on Google Play here.

Galaxy Nexus LTE signage going up at Sprint stores Sunday, April 15

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We know everything there is to know about the Sprint Galaxy Nexus LTE, except for its launch date. According to Phandroid, the launch could be soon, because many Sprint retail stores received sign material to post around their stores. As you can see after the break, the signage is going to be posted in stores this Sunday, April 15.

From the looks of it, the launch of the Sprint Galaxy Nexus cannot be too far off. For those unfamiliar, the Sprint Galaxy Nexus packs two exclusive features: a faster 1.5GHz processor and Google Wallet compatibility. In January, we exclusively brought news that Wallet was left out of the Verizon version at Verizon’s request. This was attributed to Verizon working on its own mobile payment platform.

At any rate, Sprint customers will be able to take advantage of that “Everything Data Plan” for the Galaxy Nexus soon.


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Google disables provisioning of prepaid cards on Google Wallet, says service is safer than plastic cards

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Hackers uncovered an issue this week with Google Wallet on routed phones. The hackers found that pin numbers for Google Wallet on rooted phones can be cracked with simple software. Google quickly released a statement and said it is working on a fix. Meanwhile, a hack also released for non-rooted devices, which is a huge safety concern. Late last night, Google released a post on its Commerce Blog giving a little more of its view on the matter.

Google announced that it would disable provisioning of prepaid cards. This will help if you ever lose a phone and someone wants to use your prepaid card to make purchases. This is a temporary solution, but Google is still looking for a permanent fix.

Google also reminded us that it offers a toll-free line if users ever have a concern or question about Google Wallet accounts. The support line is open 24/7.

Google also said that Google Wallet is safer than plastic cards and folded wallets. The company even talked about the security concerns’ rooting an Android device creates:


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Google Wallet’s PIN verification system reportedly cracked

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[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P655GXnE_ic&feature=player_embedded”]

If your Android device is rooted, and you use Google Wallet, beware. zVelo reported this evening that Google Wallet’s PIN verification system was cracked through brute force. If someone were to obtain your device and deploy this hack, the stranger would be able to access all of your financial information to make purchases. Yes, this crack was distributed online so it can get in the hands of hackers.

It is simple: If you use Google Wallet, do not root your device. Check it out in action in the video above.

Update: As noted by The Next Web, Google is already working on a fix for the bug.


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