Google today announced a major revamp to its Google Pay app for Android and iOS, bringing a bunch of new features. The app now resembles the offering that has been around in India for a while – formerly known as Tez – and features individual private conversations for transactions, group payments, and easy ways to pay businesses. Next year, the company will also be bringing Plex, a digital bank account integrated into Google Pay, thanks to partnerships with financial institutions.
The new app now focuses on serving users with a tabbed UI focused on people, instead of transactions. Users can choose through people that they have recently transacted with, in the Pay section, and view the entire history of those transactions in the form of a private conversation. The firm is also bringing features that help users split the bill by creating groups and keep a track of those that have paid in one conversation.
The Explore section allows users to view offers and discounts, and add these offers depending on the vendor. For example, users can redeem an offer from Target by hitting the plus icon in the offer card which will then automatically apply the coupon to a transaction with Target.
Another interesting addition is that of Insights. The service will now be able to show users their spending patterns for connected bank accounts and cards to help manage finances. The feature also lets users search for transaction details or summaries – like for money spent on food or fuel – through the search box, which returns a summation of possible expenses in that category.
The company also touts the privacy controls in the app as it offers users to turn on personalization features for offers right during the setup process. Users can also choose to turn on the features for a period of three months and have the app prompt for permission again after that period.
The redesigned Google Pay is now rolling out to users in the U.S. on Android and iOS starting today. You can head to the Play Store here or the App Store here to download the updated app.
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