Review on Google Pay by Benaiah A. Akinlade
G Pay: An awesome Andriod-favoured contactless payment platform that has a minimal contact with iOS
I have always been quite fascinated by the integration of technology in the finance industry. I am a fan of online transactions and mobile banking and I usually prefer to pay for services through transfers rather than paying cash. Therefore, I ensure that I follow each and every innovation in the financial industry as much as I can. I only patronize banks that allows me the freedom to make my spending remotely and in the same vein, they can provide services and solutions remotely without needing to visit their offices most especially during this COVID-19 pandemic period where everybody is trying to minimize physical contacts as much as possible.
Google Pay (also known as G Pay) is one of the very many contactless (wireless) and peer to peer payment digital wallets and online payment platforms available worldwide. It was developed by Google mainly to enable users of Android powered mobile devices to make payments. The app is also available on iOS devices but the iOS version has a limited capability when compared with the Android version. The app service also allows you to complete tasks such as boarding passes, tickets for public transports and events, coupons, among others.
Furthermore, the G Pay service makes use of NFC (Near Field Communication) on mobile devices in transmitting the card’s information by enabling transaction of funds between the customer and the seller. The NFC technology replaces the Chips and PINs on Credit/Debit cards and Magnetic stripes transactions used at POS terminals by allowing the user to upload their information in the Google Pay wallet. Google Pay is secure as it doesn’t reveal the credit/debit card details, rather, a virtual account number that represents the buyer’s account details is created during transactions. It also makes use of 2FA, OTP (One Time Password), and a phone screen lock activation.
I am a huge fan of G-Pay app as it shows that financial transactions as we know it is advancing positively, but I see a sense of bias in the fact that Android users enjoy a more comprehensive version of the app than the iOS version. As an iOS user, I am not comfortable with the fact that, G-Pay is designed to be more suited for android users while iOS users have a limited feature in their G-Pay version.
I opine that the iOS users of the app should have the same full-function User Experience as Android users. Google, please work on this!!
Pros
- G-Pay is compatible with different authentication methods like Fingerprint Identification, Passcodes, 2-Factor Authentication, One Time Password, and Phone Screen lock.
- There is no card limit on Google pay, as it supports Visa and Mastercard transactions
- G-Pay is available in close to 40 countries worldwide
- It is a secure platform of making transactions as it protects the privacy of the user
Cons
- The Android version of the app have more features than the iOS version.
