Paying with our phones is getting more common, and it seems that Google intends to bring it to the whole family.
Google's tap-to-pay feature for Google Wallet functions similarly to Apple's, allowing users to save a card to their phone or smartwatch and use it for contactless payments. The feature is designed not to be accessible to children, with payment profiles belonging to anyone under 13 being closed as soon as they are discovered. However, it seems that will change as Google will soon allow kids to pay with their phones.
In a recent report, 9to5 Google revealed that Google Wallet with tap-to-pay will be available next year for kids using Family Link-managed accounts. This will allow them to make payments in-store, but will not be able to use any saved cards to make online payments. Additional security measures from the full experience are also included, meaning a device will need either a PIN, password, fingerprint or facial recognition to authenticate any NFC payment.
According to the report, Google Wallet for kids will also support gift cards and event tickets. however, private passes like ID and health cards will not be supported at launch. Parents will need to approve every credit and debit card added, while the Family Link app will give them a full view of any payments made. The app will also allow them to remotely remove a card, and block any passes.
The majority of this infrastructure is based on the recent release of tap-to-pay for kids smartwatches for the Fitbit Ace LTE. Google has emphasized how this new experience is designed with safety in mind, with the company stating, “Following the positive response of tap-to-pay on Fitbit Ace LTE devices, we’re expanding tap-to-pay for kids to Google Wallet. The new experience is built with safety in mind, and will allow parents to supervise their kids’ usage – including approving new cards, easily removing cards and viewing transaction history."
Parents having more control over what their children are buying can only be seen as a positive and the feature is coming next year. For more tips on protecting your child, we have a list of how you can protect your child's new phone.
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