Google may reduce the ease of contactless (NFC) payments made via… WearOS devices, such as the Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch. According to user reports on Reddit, the Google Wallet app requires a password for purchases made by bringing the device closer to readers (called “tap and pay”).
This information has not been confirmed by Google yet, but the post dedicated to the topic in the online forum already contains dozens of processes showing cases with different devices, which means that this is not a hardware problem, but rather a problem with the software application itself.
The Google Wallet app already lets you create a password — or PIN — when you register your payment method with it. However, the idea of the app is precisely to provide the convenience of paying using NFC technology for some smartphones, without having to open your wallet or approach/insert the card. With the advent of technology-enabled smartwatches, this feature has expanded to include payments made on the wrist, and even leaving a cell phone in your pocket.
However, complainants on Reddit claim that the latest security update forces them to enter a new password — different from the one assigned to configure the app — the moment they bring the watch closer to the reading machine. There are no reports of the same happening with smartphone payments, so the issue appears to be more targeting WearOS smartwatches.
However, it's worth noting that the smartphone version of the app makes you reconfirm your identity after a few moments of use – and the latest version has authentication for public transport payments. Additionally, the relatively low volume of complaints could be an indication that Google is testing a change on some specific watches, or that the app itself introduced an issue in the latest update, such as a bug.
However, Google has not yet commented on the situation, so it is not known which of the options corresponds to reality. And even less if and when it will have any solution.
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