Google announced Wednesday that children on Android phones can tap and pay in stores using Google wallets in the US, UK, Australia, Spain and Poland. Parents and parents of these countries now have access to digital payments on Android devices with supervision for their children.
Kids can also use Google Wallet to access supported passes such as event tickets, library cards, gift cards, and more.
Google points out that payment cards can only be added with parental consent and that they can receive emails every time a child makes a transaction. Additionally, parents can use Family Link, Google's Parental Control app to track their children's recent purchases, remove payment cards, and turn off access to their pass.
It is worth noting that children cannot use Google wallets to pay for online purchases.
Image credit: Google
To get started, your child and parents need to go to the wallet app on their child's Android phone and tap “Add to wallet” in the bottom left of the screen. You then need to select the “Payment Card” option and tap “New Credit Card or Debit Card.”
The app then prompts the parent to confirm that he is a parent by logging in to his Google account. You can then add a credit or debit card. Once they do, the child can start using the wallet app for in-store purchases.
The launch is no surprise, as Google announced last month that it will introduce features this spring. Google did not comment when asked about plans to expand the feature to more regions.
With today's announcement, Google is catching up to Apple. This allows children to purchase Apple Pay in-store through the Apple Cash Family service.