Google has announced that Google Pay will be shutting down in the US in June as the majority of standalone apps have been replaced by Google Wallet. The company says the move is aimed at simplifying its payment app. After this standalone app ends in the US, it will only be available in Singapore and India.
This change may seem sudden, but as Google pushes Google Wallet as the go-to app for payment functionality, it's consolidating and simplifying payment apps to reduce service disruption for users. It makes sense to do so.
Users can still access the app's most popular features directly from Google Wallet, which Google says is more than five times more used in the U.S. than the Google Pay app.
Starting June 4th, users will no longer be able to send, request, or receive money through the U.S. version of the Google Pay app. The user must check his Google Pay balance via the app and transfer money to his bank account by that date. If you still have funds in your account after that date, you can view them and transfer them to your bank from the Google Pay website.
Users who used the Google Pay app to search for offers and deals will continue to be able to do so using the new deals in Google Search, the company said.
Google Wallet is the company's primary location for mobile payments in the US, and will likely remain so. With this app, you can use your phone to pay in stores, board planes, take transit, save your loyalty cards, save your driver's license, and start your car with a digital key.
Google says millions of people in more than 180 countries use Google Pay to pay when they shop on desktop, mobile, and in stores.