Google is making it easier to set any app you regularly use for payments as your default wallet app in the upcoming Android release. Android 15 Beta 1 introduces an option allowing you to set any app as the default wallet, similar to how you can change the default browser or assistant on your phone.
According to Mishaal Rahman‘s post on X (formerly Twitter), Android 15 Beta 1 allows you to change the wallet role.This means that after the stable release, banking and other apps may start asking for permission to become your default wallet app.
The major benefit of setting a default wallet app is the ability to make NFC payments or Tap-to-Pay transactions more conveniently. Previously, you could do this by navigating to Connected devices -> Connection Preferences -> NFC -> Contactless payments and selecting the app you wanted to use. The new option in Android 15 will streamline this process.
If you’re using Android 15 Beta 1, here’s how you can set an app as your default wallet:
- Open Settings and select the Apps menu.
- Tap on Default apps.
- Choose the Wallet app and then select the app you want to use.
We noticed that currently, only Paytm and ICICI Bank’s iMobile apps allow NFC payments. The Google Pay or Google Wallet app won’t appear unless you register a card inside the respective apps. However, we expect support for more apps to arrive when Android 15 is widely rolled out.
On Pixel devices, Google Wallet has been the default, while Samsung devices typically use their own Samsung Wallet service. With this new option, if you prefer not to use either, you can change it according to your preference. This is a level of flexibility that iOS users don’t have at this point.
This flexibility is one of the reasons I stick to the Android platform. Hopefully, future builds will bring more updates about this feature, and support for additional apps will be introduced.
0 Comments