Is Google Wallet dead?

[lothar]

Google Inc. said late on Monday that Verizon Wireless is blocking it from installing an app called Google Wallet on a new line of smartphones powered by its Android software.
Verizon this month will begin selling the Galaxy Nexus, a smartphone developed by Google and Samsung Electronics Co., but it won't include an app that is key to Google's attempt to tap the local-business advertising market.
Google Wallet lets people use phones to make payments, redeem digital coupons and earn loyalty points with merchants.
A Google spokesman said Verizon asked it not to include Google Wallet on the new Galaxy Nexus and that consumers won't be able to download it through the Android app market. "Verizon asked us not to include this functionality in the product," the spokesman said in a statement, without elaborating on the reason behind Verizon's move.
Verizon has teamed up with rival carriers AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA on a joint venture that also lets people make payments and redeem offers via their smartphones. That competing project, called Isis, is expected to begin trials next year.
Verizon didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Google is betting big on the Google Wallet app, which is installed on some phones carried by Sprint Nextel Corp. and relies on technology called near-field communication, or NFC. The payment system can allow Google to offer retailers more data about their customers and help retailers target ads and discount offers to mobile-device users near their stores. Google hopes to sell ads and discount offers to the local merchants.
The viability of Google Wallet could called into question if Sprint, the No. 3 wireless carrier in the U.S., were the only carrier that supported the app.
A ComputerWorld.com blog earlier reported on Google Wallet's absence on the Galaxy Nexus.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204770404577081610232043208.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

NEW YORK — Verizon Wireless is blocking the new flagship phone running Google Inc.'s Android software, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, from running Google's in-store payment application, the Wallet.
The smartphone is the first to run a new version of Android, and is due to be released soon by Verizon. Examinations by Wired and other publications reveal that the international version of the phone has the chip necessary to run Google Wallet.
The previous model in the "Nexus" line, which Google uses to launch new software and features, is sold by Sprint and works with the Wallet.
But Verizon is part of a consortium of carriers that are planning its own payment application, and the company says its waiting to provide a wallet application until it can provide "the best security and user experience."

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP8ce69f137a9e495498459d3b722b761f.html
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/06/4102910/verizon-wireless-nixes-google.html

Looks like Google does not have as much clout on the "Nexus" lines(in the US at least) as everyone thought?

 

[Anubis]

meh, either system is something id most likely never use

 

[gorcorps]

And here I am thinking the Nexus phones weren't allowed to be raped by the carriers. Should have known better I guess.

 

[Medu]

Firstly- The USA does not equal the world. It's certainly a set back for Google Wallet but far from terminal(this has been flagged for a while)

Second- Could there be legal issues for Verizon with this?

 

[abaez]

With root and an unlocked bootloader couldn't you just sideload the app?

 

[Anubis]

Firstly- The USA does not equal the world. It's certainly a set back for Google Wallet but far from terminal(this has been flagged for a while)

Second- Could there be legal issues for Verizon with this?

sure someone will claim anti competetive stuff

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I've already posted that NFC for phones is still nonexistent. Even though we had it for a year with the Nexus S, it hasn't been pushed out by mainstream phones, and even top of the line phones. Furthermore, no one really uses NFC credit card payments. As much as people say Asia uses it, NFC is used for subway cards and prepaid cards.

Americans use the most plastic. We're able to swipe for simple $0.99 drinks to $1000 TVs. Pretty much elsewhere, cash is king. So yes, Google Wallet is fucked. Especially when it relies on a Sprint partnership and Citi. How do you expect to get worldwide adoption?

 

[Anubis]

I've already posted that NFC for phones is still nonexistent. Even though we had it for a year with the Nexus S, it hasn't been pushed out by mainstream phones, and even top of the line phones. Furthermore, no one really uses NFC credit card payments. As much as people say Asia uses it, NFC is used for subway cards and prepaid cards.

Americans use the most plastic. We're able to swipe for simple $0.99 drinks to $1000 TVs. Pretty much elsewhere, cash is king. So yes, Google Wallet is fucked. Especially when it relies on a Sprint partnership and Citi. How do you expect to get worldwide adoption?

i agree but its not just GW i suspect NFC will take forever to take off here due to retailers pushback on installing the systems and people not caring to program all their crap into their phone to save a few seconds when paying for stuff

 

[vshah]

FU Verizon. and google, for that matter.

 

[Dulanic]

My hate for the US carriers continues to grow.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

i agree but its not just GW i suspect NFC will take forever to take off here due to retailers pushback on installing the systems and people not caring to program all their crap into their phone to save a few seconds when paying for stuff

Ok, but even if retailers took off, we don't have the phones. The Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus are the only phones that use it.

Even if we had these phones, only the Sprint Nexus S works with Wallet. Does the new GN work with Wallet (I mean the international version)?? And even then I don't even use my damn Citi Card. So until this whole system gets pushed forward, there's a LOT of freaking bottlenecks.

And as I said before, credit cards are not as commonly used worldwide, meaning even if this is all enabled, it's pretty useless for the worldwide community because the "widespread" adoption in NFC is in prepaid cards like subway cards in Asia/Europe, and not credit cards.

 

[vshah]

yes, international version works with wallet (currently have to hack it on though)
annoying that it only works with citi cards or a pre-funded balance.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

oh ok, yeah my nexus works with a hacked wallet, so really officially only the Nexus S on Sprint allows Wallet access. How amazingly useful to limit Wallet to the small userbase of Sprint customers when these phones are sold worldwide...

Congratulations Google for introducing technology and getting sold out to carriers which effectively kills what they were promoting...

 

[vshah]

oh ok, yeah my nexus works with a hacked wallet, so really officially only the Nexus S on Sprint allows Wallet access. How amazingly useful to limit Wallet to the small userbase of Sprint customers when these phones are sold worldwide...

Congratulations Google for introducing technology and getting sold out to carriers which effectively kills what they were promoting...

verizon, at&t, and tmo are all in on the competing Isis. Sprint is the only one out, so it makes sense they'd support wallet instead

 

[Patranus]

No infrastructure and I doubt places are going to invest in the infrastructure which the the very small minority of the population will use.

 

[vshah]

No infrastructure and I doubt places are going to invest in the infrastructure which the the very small minority of the population will use.

it does work with "paypass" which is used in a decent number of places. not nearly enough to drive mass adoption though, i agree.

 

[BoT]

i don't think Verizon or any other carrier will be able to completely ban Google Wallet if Google is really pushing for it. I can see a delay, to give the carriers a head start on things but not a total exclusion without any future changes.
i highly doubt that what these three carriers are hashing out will catch on and/or be any better then Google Wallet and I doubt that Google plans to drop Google Wallet.

Google Music was just linked to Google Wallet and more services will folow

 

[gorcorps]

i don't think Verizon or any other carrier will be able to completely Google Wallet if Google is really pushing for it.

you accidentally the whole thing?

 

[BoT]

you accidentally the whole thing?

oops, thanks .. fixed

 

[s44]

One word: sideload

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

can someone tell my why this involves the carriers AT ALL....

Theoretically, shouldn't it just be a payment system like Google Wallet/Isis and they operate on their own? The funny thing is I don't hear any other worldwide carrier getting involved in this stuff. It's just like how AT&T and Verizon sold navigation packages with their phones and capitalized on dumb people not knowing that Windows Mobile phones could load navigation software and not have to pay $5/month.

 

[theeedude]

FTC needs to investigate this. If ISIS cartel members are colluding to block out competing systems, they need to be smacked down hard.

 

[Patranus]

it does work with "paypass" which is used in a decent number of places. not nearly enough to drive mass adoption though, i agree.

The thing is that it has to work *everywhere* for people to stop carrying their credit cards and that isn't going to happen any time soon.

If I still have to carry my credit cards why am I going to use this Google service instead?

 

[alent1234]

can someone tell my why this involves the carriers AT ALL....

Theoretically, shouldn't it just be a payment system like Google Wallet/Isis and they operate on their own? The funny thing is I don't hear any other worldwide carrier getting involved in this stuff. It's just like how AT&T and Verizon sold navigation packages with their phones and capitalized on dumb people not knowing that Windows Mobile phones could load navigation software and not have to pay $5/month.

Carrier billing

The carriers want to bill you for digital crap and have you pay interest to them

 

[Red Storm]

The thing is that it has to work *everywhere* for people to stop carrying their credit cards and that isn't going to happen any time soon.

If I still have to carry my credit cards why am I going to use this Google service instead?

Do you say this about every new service?

I think it's a bit much to expect *everywhere* to be Google Wallet ready only 3 months after it launched. I actually don't even know how well or poorly it's been adopted as I don't care about the whole mobile payment thing, but I am excited for NFC becoming more and more widespread.