Android Pay to be available in five more markets

At Google I/O 2017, Google announced that it is expanding Android Pay to five more markets in the coming months, launching in Canada, Brazil, Russia, Spain and Taiwan. Although, it is available in ten markets right now, it’s been expansion and subsequent adoption has been relatively slow.

It also announced the Google Payment API, which lets people pay in app or online with any verified credit or debit card saved to their Google Account, via products like Google Play, Chrome and YouTube.

According to Google Developer’s blog, “In the upcoming months, we’ll also enable people in the U.S. to send or receive payments via the Google Assistant. On your Google Home or Android device, it’s as simple as saying “Ok Google, send $10 to Jane for pizza.” All you need is a debit card linked to your Google account.”

It also announced new ways for merchants to engage and reward customers before they walk into the store and after they’ve left. The Card Linked Offers API drives customer loyalty by providing a new channel to deliver targeted offers.

Other than this, also making it easier for Android Pay users to add loyalty programs. There is more to this including its collaboration with Clover, a First Data company, to expand its smart tap technology beyond national retailers to businesses of all sizes. With the upcoming integration of smart tap in Clover’s developer APIs, developers will be able to build Android apps for loyalty, coupon and gift card redemption and new features, such as order ahead and tap for pick up.