Android Pay

Originally launched as Android Pay, the service was released at Google I/O 2015. Android Pay was a successor to and built on the base established by Google Wallet which was released in 2011. It also used technology from the carrier-backed Softcard—Google had acquired its intellectual property in February 2015. At launch, the service was compatible with 70% of Android devices, and was accepted at over 700,000 merchants. Google Wallet still powered web-based Play Store purchases and some app-based peer-to-peer payments, for instance in Gmail.
As of 2020, it is currently available in 40 countries. Upon its UK launch Android Pay supported MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards from many of the UK's major financial institutions — including Bank of Scotland, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, M&S Bank, MBNA and Nationwide Building Society — "with new banks being added all the time" according to Google. Natwest, RBS and Ulster Bank launched on September 14, 2016. On September 8, 2016 it was reported that UK banks TSB and Santander would be participating in the following weeks. Android Pay was launched in Singapore on June 28, 2016, and in Australia on July 14, 2016. Android Pay launched in the Republic of Ireland on December 7, 2016 and was initially available to customers of AIB and KBC, having since been extended to Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank. The service works with both credit and debit cards.
In 2016, Google began a public trial in Silicon Valley of a related mobile app called Hands Free. In this system, the customer does not need to present a phone or card. Instead, a customer announces they wish to "pay with Google" and give their initials to the cashier, who verifies their identity with a photo previously uploaded to the system. The customer's phone will only authorize payment if its geographic location system indicates it is near a participating store.
On September 18, 2017, Google launched a payments app in India known as Tez, utilizing the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). On August 28, 2018, Google rebranded Tez to Google Pay.
On January 8, 2018, Google announced that Google Wallet would be merged into Android Pay, with the service as a whole rebranded as Google Pay. This merger extends the platform into web-based payments integrated into other Google and third-party services. The rebranding began to roll out as an update to the Android Pay app on February 20, 2018; the app was given an updated design, and now displays a personalized list of nearby stores which support Google Pay.