Google Wallet has been updated to include a variety of new features, an improved UI for the transaction detail screen and several bug fixes, according to the search giant.
For those unfamiliar, Google Wallet is a new service that allows users to make mobile payments from their mobile devices using Google Prepaid Cards or a Citi MasterCard. At the moment, the service is extremely limited — only available to users rocking Sprint’s Nexus S 4G — but availability to other phones and carriers should be announced in the coming months.
One of the biggest improvements is the addition of in-app offers, which replace the email notifications that were sent our for each offer when the service was first announced. Here’s a full list of the updates and enhancements:
- Updated transaction detail screen (for Tap & Pay and in Transaction History)
- Merchant name and amount now available for Google Prepaid Card purchases
- Improved button to turn your cards on and off
- Five minute default PIN timeout for new users
- An improved tutorial
- Account Number validation for some gift cards
- Bug fixes
Google has high hopes for Google Wallet, but until compatibility and NFC adoption catch up, it’ll remain limited to a select group of users. Apple is also planning NFC integration with the iPhone, but it likely sees the writing on the wall in terms of low adoption. Google, never one to wait until the market catches up with its ideas, is taking a preemptive strike. Only time will tell if it gives them first-mover advantage.
