What you need to know
- Google plans to roll out a Wallet feature to let Brazilians utilize their phone's camera to scan a QR code for digital payment during checkout.
- The feature is aimed at phones that don't support NFC for payments.
- Google is also expanding Maps features such as Indoor Live View, which will be available at the Guarulhos Airport.
Google is adding a new payment method for the Wallet app in Brazil, which should make it easier for users to pay for products with their smartphones.
According to a Google Keyword blog post, the company will soon roll out an update for Google Wallet in Brazil that allows its citizens to scan a QR code to make a digital payment. Google states this update will enable any Android device capable of making digital payments to scan a QR code at a payment machine.
Google states that the move will help enable payments for "a significant portion of smartphones" lacking NFC technology in Brazil, particularly budget Android phones like those in Motorola's Moto G lineup.
The order of operations seems as easy as if a phone did contain NFC technology. So long as Brazilians ensure their correct card for payment is selected after opening Google Wallet, scanning the QR code will be as easy as tapping their phone. Google informs this feature will roll out "in the coming months," suggesting it will eventually come to other countries.
At the top of the month, Google talked about some new features coming for its digital Wallet app in the U.S. and the U.K. Among them were various uses of QR codes to digitize transit tickets, parking passes, and even gym membership cards. This new feature for Google Wallet appears to expand on that by making the app more flexible.
Aside from making digital payments for accessible in Brazil, the company is also bringing some new tools to the region for Google Maps. In addition to enabling Immersive View features in Brazil, Google says it will look to make Maps "more immersive and intuitive for Brazilians" by launching Indoor Live View for Guarulhos Airport. Live View allows users to get a lay of the land (as if they were there) through an AR experience. This will surely come in handy when navigating an extremely busy airport.
Google also touches on its newfound partnership with O Boticário and eCycle to improve Brazilians' education on recycling points around the country. The company states that through Maps and Search, people can find recycling points around their country based on the specific material they're looking to dispose of properly.
