Google's plan to transform Google Pay from a simple mobile payment app into a "full-featured digital wallet" could be one step closer to implementation now that a new "Wallet" icon has appeared.
As reported by 9to5Google, who saw the icon in question, the search giant's new "Wallet" icon uses the colors green, yellow, red and blue, just like Gmail, Drive, Meet and the rest of the mobile applications on the Internet. company.
However, unlike the current GPay logo which consists of two interlocking multi-colored arches, the new icon features an actual wallet in blue with red, yellow and green cards inside. At the same time, the new icon is less obvious than the Google Pay icon that features a multicolored "G" next to the word "Pay."
The new icon is not only a welcome addition to those of GPay and Google Pay, but also aligns with Google's plans to turn Google Pay into a full virtual wallet that goes beyond payments.
A complete digital portfolio
After Google shut down its personal finance and banking service Plex in October last year, the company hired a former PayPal executive to help reset its strategy.
Google now wants Pay to "become the connective tissue of the entire consumer finance industry," according to Bloomberg, including working with cryptocurrency partners.
As Google Pay transforms from a mobile payment app to a full-fledged digital wallet, the service could also be used to store "digital tickets, plane passes, and vaccine passports" in the same way as Google Pay Apple Wallet.
While the new "Wallet" icon may end up replacing the current one for Google Pay, Google still has a lot of challenges ahead when it comes to payments. In fact, GPay is available in the United States, India, and Singapore, while Google Pay is available in the rest of the world. The two apps also have different functionality, as GPay includes support for peer-to-peer payments, transit pass purchase, parking and gas payment, etc., while Google Pay only displays a carousel of stored payment cards and passes.
While the new "Wallet" icon hints at the future of Google Pay, we'll have to wait to hear more from the company itself on how its mobile payment app will transform into a comprehensive digital wallet.
Via 9to5Google