Google is taking your hands out of the payments equation

Steven Loeb · March 3, 2016 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/43b7

The company is testing a pilot in the Bay Area that would let people pay based on facial recognition

To be honest, I've always scoffed a bit when someone said that, eventually, we'd see the end of the wallet. First of all, I still don't think that's true, because having an actual credit card or cash with you, at least as a backup in case your phone dies, is just common sense. Secondly, I also find it faster to just pay with a credit card. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but I think it actually takes longer to pay using a phone.

Well, thanks Google for poking a big hole in the second part of that argument by eliminating the phone from the equation as well. 

On Wednesday the company announced a new technology that would allow you to pay for things without using your hands at all, instead relying instead on visual identification.

Here's how it works: users have to install a separate app (this is separate from Android Pay) which will use Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and location services to determine if they are near a store that has access to this technologu. Once they go to pay, they tell the cashier,"I'll pay with Google," and the clerk can confirm his or her identity with only their initials, and the photo that the user has added to their Hands Free profile. Once they verify that it's the right person, they are good to go. 

Google also said that it's working on a process that would involve an in-store camera system to automatically confirm the customer's identify by taking a picture and matching it with their Hands Free profile.

In case you're worried about any privacy implications, "All images captured by the Hands Free camera are deleted immediately," according to Google.

In addition, the company also says that Hands Free doesn't shares the customer;s full credit card number with the store, and the cashier can only charge when Hands Free detects that the user's phone is near the store. Also, like with any other credit card transaction, it will alert the card owner of any unusual activity and suspicious transactions won't go through without their approval.

Google hands free payments are currently being run in a pilot test in southern part of the Bay Area. Some of the participating stores include McDonald's, Papa John's, and some local eateries.

The app is available for anyone using an Android with Jelly Bean version 4.2 or higher, and anyone with an iPhone 4S or above.

Google has been talking about hands free transactions for nearly a year, first unveiling its plan at its I/O conference in May of last year.

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