Google Wallet is making contactless payments more secure but more annoying

Google Wallet on Wear OS device, TicWatch Pro 3
(Image credit: Chris Wedel/Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Google Wallet previously allowed users to make contactless payments in small amounts without unlocking their device, though the exact terms varied by region.
  • Last month, Google added a disclaimer to a related support article that warned users that their payment wouldn't go through unless they had recently unlocked their device.
  • Now, this change is rolling out in Europe, and users took to social media to share their frustration with this change. 

Google is rolling out a change to Google Wallet that will make using contactless payments for small transactions more secure but also more frustrating. Google Wallet works in different ways based on a user's region, and in Europe, it previously allowed users to pay in small amounts without unlocking their devices. The threshold varied by country, and in some places like the U.S., all transactions required a device unlock. Now, Google is making device unlocks a requirement for all users in all reasons, and not everyone is happy about the change. 

The company updated a support document last month related to tap-to-pay transactions, previewing the shift in Google Wallet behavior (via 9to5Google). 

"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," the notice reads. "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."

U.S. users won't notice a change because device unlocks were already necessary for all transactions other than those using express transit. However, users in other countries could make transactions under a given threshold without unlocking in Google Wallet. For example, people in Canada could make payments under $100 CAD without unlocking their devices. In the U.K., that limit is around £45 GBP.

However, people in regions where device unlocks were not always required are finding they now need to authenticate each contactless payment in Google Wallet, no matter the transaction size. The only exception is if a user has recently used a verification method. So, if you authenticated Google Wallet a minute ago and haven't locked your device, you won't need to unlock it again. 

Though this change makes Google Wallet objectively more secure, not everyone is happy about it. A few users on Reddit criticized the shift, and others called it a non-issue. One thing many seem to agree on is that Google should have left the choice up to the end user whether to require device unlocks for every transaction. 

Google wallet verification each time with small payment. S23u... from r/GoogleWallet

Google's choice to require verification for Google Wallet payments of all denominations has brought up an age-old debate in cybersecurity: do you want convenience or security? Users on social media disagree, but in this case, Google has made the decision for them. 

Brady Snyder
Contributor

Brady is a tech journalist covering news at Android Central. He has spent the last two years reporting and commenting on all things related to consumer technology for various publications. Brady graduated from St. John's University in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. When he isn't experimenting with the latest tech, you can find Brady running or watching sports.

  • SyCoREAPER
    What a crisis... of first world proportions. Hope everyone will be ok. I know this inconvenience has shaken me to the core.
    Reply
  • kld2009#AC
    Now, Google is making device unlocks a requirement for all users in all 👉reasons👈, and not everyone is happy about the change.
    Reply
  • SyCoREAPER
    kld2009#AC said:
    Now, Google is making device unlocks a requirement for all users in all 👉reasons👈, and not everyone is happy about the change.
    As fun as that would be, Google has no control or authority to mandate unlockable bbooloaders. While the toggle be made software side, the core function affects hardware which OEMs have full decision making power over
    Reply
  • FunnyZA
    SyCoREAPER said:
    What a crisis... of first world proportions. Hope everyone will be ok. I know this inconvenience has shaken me to the core.
    Hell no... Have you been in developing countries? a lot of street hawkers now use card machines and tap to pay is super common.
    Reply
  • FunnyZA
    What I find annoying more than anything is the fact that you can still have the wallet as a lockscreen widget. if they truly are about security then remove that feature first and then add then unlock feature, also why couldn't they send a notification warning message before hand?
    Reply
  • SyCoREAPER
    FunnyZA said:
    Hell no... Have you been in developing countries? a lot of street hawkers now use card machines and tap to pay is super common.
    What does that have to do with anything?

    The point is, the added security adds 5-10 seconds at most (or if you're clever and make a Tasker profile) or even less to open. So the "making it more annoying" bit of the title is pointless complaining.
    Reply
  • rvbfan
    Personally I don't get the point of the article. I use my thumb to unlock the phone about 1 second before I make my purchase. Even if I have to do it again, maybe add another second. First world problems.
    Reply
  • gwinegarden
    I have no real problem with this but, today it would not let me pay without unlocking and then it, still, wouldn't let me pay.
    Reply
  • notforhire
    SyCoREAPER said:
    What a crisis... of first world proportions. Hope everyone will be ok. I know this inconvenience has shaken me to the core.
    This is an insult to first world problems everywhere, lol. Seriously, though, I have both Google and Samsung Wallet on my phone. Samsung is my primary. Google is for a few cards that simply don't support Samsung's offering. The article identifies a problem that doesn't even exist. Open the app, authenticate, pay, gather your purchased items, leave.
    Reply