Commenting on today’s UK launch of Android Pay, Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at Uswitch.com, says: “Any Android users glancing sideways at their iPhone-owning mates paying for coffees and train tickets with their phones can put the green-eyed monster to rest. Android Pay is here and it’s prolific.
“Wide-reaching support for NFC means it works everywhere that contactless cards are accepted, but the launch is just the start and work must be done to garner mainstream adoption.
“Much like when MasterCard partnered with Apple Pay to offer free Tube travel, Android is going for the early adopters with ‘Pay Day’ incentives at popular stores, a clever way to get Brits used to small and frequent payments.
“Mobile pay is still in its infancy in the UK, with Apple only just beginning to roll its own platform out to consumers via the mid-range iPhone SE, having limited it initially to the iPhone 6 and newer models. This means Android Pay is unlikely to have been hindered by Apple getting there first.
“And Android Pay’s low barrier to entry – most smartphones are NFC-enabled these days –means it’ll have a more wide-reaching impact on how Brits pay for goods than Apple Pay has had alone.
“The flipside of the convenience of using your phone as a wallet is the openness of the Android platform. Security will be a concern that Android must overcome for payments on a daily basis, especially for the older generation. A survey we carried out revealed 57% of Britons don’t feel comfortable paying for goods and services through their mobile phones, and 45% are concerned about security and fraud.
“It’ll take years not months to build trust in mobile payments among the mainstream and, while the openness of Android as a platform for developers might be a good thing for the user experience, just one data breach or financial hack could destroy all that trust and goodwill – so vigilance is key.”
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