When we brought Android Pay to Japan in 2016, our goal was to create a unique mobile checkout experience that was tailored to Japanese shoppers. Since then, we’ve unified the different ways consumers pay with Google into a single brand: Google Pay. We’ve also updated the app to make paying faster and simpler, promote easy access to offers, and provide one, convenient place to manage e-money and loyalty cards on mobile using your Google Account.

Now, we’re rolling out two new ways to pay that will make checking out online, in stores, and across Japan even easier.

Suica and WAON now available on Google Pay

Starting today, you can add and manage your Suica and WAON cards in Google Pay if you live in Japan and have an Osaifu-Keitai eligible phone. This means four major Japanese prepaid e-money cards—nanaco, Rakuten Edy, Suica and WAON—can all be used with Google Pay. You’ll be able to pay with Google Pay at the hundreds of locations that accept any of these cards, plus pay on transit anywhere Suica is accepted.

The Google Pay app makes organizing and managing all your cards effortless. You can use the app to quickly sign up for e-money cards using the information from your Google Account, check your balances and easily add money with your credit card, and set up low balance alerts so you’re always ready to go. You can also see your recent activity across all of your cards, get customized offers and rewards, and find helpful tips in the app’s Home tab.

And if you use Google Pay for transit, you can check your commuter pass, bullet train, and green ticket details, plus register your Tpoint and dPoint cards and scan them right from the app.

Adding Suica and WAON brings us one step closer to making paying faster and simpler for everyone, everywhere. Keep an eye out for even more features and new ways to pay in the upcoming months, and get the app now to see just how easy paying can be.

When we brought Android Pay to Japan in 2016, our goal was to create a unique mobile checkout experience that was tailored to Japanese shoppers. Since then, we’ve unified the different ways consumers pay with Google into a single brand: Google Pay. We’ve also updated the app to make paying faster and simpler, promote easy access to offers, and provide one, convenient place to manage e-money and loyalty cards on mobile using your Google Account.

Now, we’re rolling out two new ways to pay that will make checking out online, in stores, and across Japan even easier.

Suica and WAON now available on Google Pay

Starting today, you can add and manage your Suica and WAON cards in Google Pay if you live in Japan and have an Osaifu-Keitai eligible phone. This means four major Japanese prepaid e-money cards—nanaco, Rakuten Edy, Suica and WAON—can all be used with Google Pay. You’ll be able to pay with Google Pay at the hundreds of locations that accept any of these cards, plus pay on transit anywhere Suica is accepted.

The Google Pay app makes organizing and managing all your cards effortless. You can use the app to quickly sign up for e-money cards using the information from your Google Account, check your balances and easily add money with your credit card, and set up low balance alerts so you’re always ready to go. You can also see your recent activity across all of your cards, get customized offers and rewards, and find helpful tips in the app’s Home tab.

And if you use Google Pay for transit, you can check your commuter pass, bullet train, and green ticket details, plus register your Tpoint and dPoint cards and scan them right from the app.

Adding Suica and WAON brings us one step closer to making paying faster and simpler for everyone, everywhere. Keep an eye out for even more features and new ways to pay in the upcoming months, and get the app now to see just how easy paying can be.

We’ve been partnering with the mobile industry to improve the messaging experience on Android with RCS (Rich Communication Services), bringing more enhanced features to the standard messaging experience on mobile devices. As of today, we are working with 43 carriers and device manufacturers to bring better native messaging to every Android user.

Rich messaging for brands

Last year we created an Early Access Program to make it easier for brands to start participating in RCS business messaging (the mobile industry's term for rich business-to-consumer messages). Today companies across food, travel, retail and delivery services in the U.S. and Mexico are starting to have better conversations with their customers using RCS as part of our Early Access Program.

With RCS, businesses can send more useful and interactive messages to their customers. This means, for example, that a retailer can send beautiful images of their products, rather than a text message, and even let the customer select and buy something, all without leaving the messaging app. Best of all, customers who have already opted in to SMS messages from a business get this upgraded experience automatically in Android Messages.

In the U.S., we’ve collaborated with Sprint to enable campaigns with 1-800 Contacts, 1-800-Flowers.com, Booking.com, SnapTravel and Subway, among others, along with messaging partners 3C, CM.com, Mobivity, OpenMarket, Smooch and Twilio. We’re also working with Telcel to bring campaigns to Mexico soon with 5 Piso, Broxel, DHL Mexico and Secretaria de Salud along with messaging partners Airmovil, Auronix, Aldeamo and Tiaxa.

In the coming months alongside our partners, we’ll bring RCS messaging to businesses in more regions. And next week at Mobile World Congress, our partners will demonstrate how businesses can change the way they engage mobile customers using RCS.

RCS messaging growth in 2017 across Europe and Latin America

To help make RCS truly universal and give Android users a consistent and familiar experience with access to all that RCS messaging offers, we’ve been working closely with carriers and device makers around the world.

Over the past year, carriers across Europe, North America and Latin America including America Movil, AT&T in Mexico, Celcom Axiata Berhad, Freedom Mobile, Oi, Telia Company and Telefonica joined Deutsche Telekom, Globe Telecom, Orange, Rogers Communications, Sprint and Telenor Group in their commitment to launch RCS messaging, powered by the Jibe RCS cloud from Google.They will also preload Android Messages as the default messaging app for their subscribers. Vodafone Group RCS service also supports Android Messages and has already launched across 10 of its 14 RCS markets globally. All carriers are committed to interconnecting through the Jibe RCS Hub to bring RCS messaging to users across networks. Collectively, they represent more than 1.8 billion mobile subscribers worldwide.

To bring better default messaging to hundreds of millions of users, device manufacturers including TCL/Alcatel/Blackberry, Transsion, BLU, Positivo, Multilaser, Mobiwire, Azumi, and Essential are joining Huawei, LG, Archos, BQ, Cherry Mobile, Condor, Fly, General Mobile, HMD Global - Home of Nokia Phones, HTC, Kyocera, Lanix, Lava, Micromax, Motorola, MyPhone, QMobile, Sony Mobile, Symphony, Vodafone, Wiko, ZTE, along with Pixel and Android One devices in preloading Android Messages as the the default messaging app on their new devices.

We’re excited to see Android Messages and RCS connect more people and businesses, and look forward to expanding our collaboration with the industry to bring better messaging to every Android user.

Fast, simple checkout. Easy access to rewards and offers. One spot for purchases, passes, and payment methods. All of these are ways we’ve been working to make paying safer and easier for everyone, everywhere. And you can make the most of these features with the new Google Pay app for Android.

The app, which begins rolling out today, is just one part of everything we’ve got planned. We’re currently working on bringing Google Pay to all Google products, so whether you’re shopping on Chrome or with your Assistant, you’ll have a consistent checkout experience using the cards saved to your Google Account. We’re also working with partners online and in stores, so you’ll see Google Pay on sites, in apps, and at your favorite places around the world.

As we continue to expand to even more devices and services, the new app offers an exciting glimpse of what’s to come. Here’s a closer look.

Helpful info while you shop

Google Pay’s new Home tab gives you the info you need, right when you need it. See your recent purchases, find nearby stores, enjoy easy access to rewards, and get helpful tips.

A new spot for your stuff

The Cards tab is an easy way to keep everything you need at checkout organized and at the ready. It’s where you’ll store your credit and debit cards, loyalty programs, offers, and even that stack of gift cards from last year’s birthday.

A faster way to pay your fare

Use Google Pay on transit in cities such as Kiev, London, and Portland (with more coming soon), and stop worrying about your pass once and for all. Now all you need at the turnstile is the device that’s already in your hand. 

And more features are coming. If you live in the U.S. or the UK, you’ll be able to use it to send and request money within the next few months. In the meantime, the Wallet app is now called Google Pay Send, and we’re giving it a fresh coat of paint to go with the Google Pay brand.

Want to accept Google Pay for your app, site or business? If you’re a developer, you can work with our processor partners and find all the tools you need on our developer site. And if you’re a business owner building a site for yourself, we’ve partnered with Shopify to make integration even easier.

Ready to try the Google Pay app? Get it on Google Play today.

Over the coming months, Huawei will make it even easier for hundreds of millions of people to express themselves via mobile messaging by integrating Android Messages, powered by RCS, across their Android smartphone portfolio.

With Android Messages and RCS messaging, Huawei devices will now offer a richer native messaging and communications experience. Features such as texting over Wi-Fi, rich media sharing, group chats, and typing indicators will now be a default part of the device. Messages from businesses will also be upgraded on Huawei’s devices through RCS business messaging. And Huawei users will be able to make video calls directly from Android Messages through carrier ViLTE and Google Duo.

In addition, to help carriers accelerate deployment of RCS messaging across their networks, we’re collaborating with Huawei to offer theJibe RCS cloud and hub solution to current and prospective carrier partners, as part of an integrated solution with Huawei's current infrastructure. This will enable a faster process for RCS services so more subscribers can get access to RCS messaging.

Huawei will begin integrating Android Messages across their portfolio in the coming months. For more information, see the following release.

Whenever we launch Android Pay in a new market, we think about how to enable faster, easier checkout while taking into account the distinct payment habits of each place. Working with partners is a key part of creating a local experience.

A few weeks ago, we launched Android Pay in Ukraine. Today, it’s available in Czech Republic and Brazil, and soon it’ll be live in Slovakia, too. Here’s a look at how two different approaches simplify checkout in two unique parts of the world.

Leave your wallet at home in Central and Eastern Europe

And in a region full of Android fans, we’re excited to see it’s already taking off! Ukraine’s Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk was the country’s first person to try Android Pay when we launched on November 1, demonstrating how it works on the Kiev Metro.

Pay for pão de queijo with your phone in Brazil

On the other side of the globe in Brazil, contactless payments are just picking up speed. So we partnered with merchants like Ipiranga and Casa do Pão de Queijo to help us merge new experiences (like paying with your phone) with familiar ones (like buying groceries or Brigadeiros). Brazil is also the first Latin American country to get Android Pay, and we're looking forward to helping contactless payments become part of people's everyday routines.

We’ll be bringing Android Pay to even more places soon.

If you use Android Pay today, you’re in for a surprise. Like our beloved animations of space explorers, Halloween haunts, and Wimbledon players in the past, five of our Android bots have channeled their superpowers to become Justice League Super Heroes in celebration of the movie. Starting in the next few days through December 31, you can see them sprint, soar, and fight to defend the planet when you pay with your phone.

How did these heroic characters make their way into the app? It began back in 2016, when the Android Pay team designed an animation–an Android bot dressed up as a space explorer–to surprise our fans. This little space traveler sparked so much delight that the team created more, drawing inspiration from Diwali, Halloween and Chinese New Year, among other celebrations.

So far, these charming bots have always been fleeting, but our fans liked them so much we wanted to find a way to let you keep them beyond the checkout line. And with these action-packed animations, you can do just that–by collecting them in your app after you pay in stores. Here’s how it works.

1. Pay in stores with Android Pay

Make sure you’ve downloaded the latest version of the Android Pay app and added a credit or debit card. Then you’ll have the chance to collect Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg or Aquaman when you pay in stores–you won’t know who until you try.

2. Unite the Justice League

Keep using Android Pay to recruit all the characters. You can see how you’re doing in the app.  

3. Share with friends and family

You can’t save the world alone! Tap on your bots to share them with friends and family–and invite them to join in.

Ready to unlock your superpowers? You'll find them starting in the next few days in the following countries: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Poland, Russia, Canada, Spain, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

JUSTICE LEAGUE © 2017 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved TM & © DC Comics

If life’s all about savoring the moment, there may be nowhere that does it better than Spain. Between the culture, the food, and the people, the country has perfected the art of enjoying the present. And Android Pay is about to make that even easier to do. Today, we’re introducing ourselves to Spain, making it the 14th country with Android Pay. We’re thrilled to bring you faster, more secure checkout – just tap with your phone wherever contactless payments are accepted.

Where you can use it

Meeting a date for tapas or picking up snacks for the beach? You can now ditch your wallet. The next time you’re getting your café con leche at Starbucks, a new look from Zara, the essentials at El Corte Inglés, or tapas at 100 Montaditos, you’ll be able to pay quickly and easily using just your phone.

Android Pay works anywhere contactless payments are accepted, which amounts to over one million stores in Spain. Here are some of the places you can check out:

And Android Pay isn’t just accepted in stores. Once you’ve set it up, you can speed through checkout online and in apps like Vueling—which means a weekend getaway to Italy is only one tap away.

Banks on board – and coming soon

If you’ve got a Visa® or Mastercard debit or credit card with BBVA, you’ll be able to use Android Pay right away. Not you? No worries. We’re always adding more partners.

Build up your business

Pay with your phone today

Whether you’re heading out for dinner or doing your  weekly shopping, your Android phone is all you need to bring with you when you walk out the door. Starting now, Android Pay is available in Taiwan.

Android Pay helps you pay for things quickly and securely with your Android phone, plus lets you earn all the same loyalty points you would with your card.   

You’ll be able to use Android Pay anywhere contactless payments are accepted, including your favorite shops like PX Mart, Carrefour, Watsons, and more. Simply unlock your phone and hold it to the payment terminal until you see a “check.” It’s that easy. And businesses across that already have contactless terminals don't need to do anything else to start accepting Android Pay in their stores.

Surfing your favourite mobile sites and apps? Android Pay lets you speed through checkout at places like Watsons, CrazyMike, and more. You can also save your HappyGo cards to Android Pay, and rack up points while you shop.

To start using Android Pay, just download the Android Pay app on Google Play and add an eligible Visa or MasterCard credit card from one of our supported banks, including CTBC and First Bank. Don’t see your bank yet? Stay tuned. We’re working to partner with more banks and cards all the time.

Once you’ve added an eligible card, you’re ready to pay with your phone. Android Pay keeps a list of your latest transactions right in the app, so you can easily keep track of your purchases.

And when you use Android Pay in stores, your actual card number isn’t shared. Instead, Android Pay sends a virtual account number to represent your account info—so your actual card details stay safe. Plus, you’ll still get all the benefits and protections you’re used to with your bank.

If you’re a merchant or a developer, we've teamed up with many leading payment platforms, processors, and technology providers to make it even easier to accept Android Pay. Visit the Android Pay API developer site to learn more.

T-shirt. Check. Flip flops. Check. Android phone. Check.  

As Canadians exchange parkas and scarves for t-shirts and flip flops this spring, we have some news that may lighten their pockets, too. Whether you’re heading out to buy groceries or grabbing a cup of coffee with friends, now your Android phone is all you need to walk out the door.

Today, we’re beginning to roll out Android Pay across Canada to help you pay simply and securely in stores and in apps.

We’ll be rolling out support for top banks over the next several days, and this is just the beginning. We will continue to add even more features, banks and store locations in the coming months, making it even easier to pay with your Android phone.

Now, you’ll be able to use Android Pay at hundreds of thousands of shops that accept contactless payments, like Tim Hortons, Loblaws, Petro-Canada, McDonald’s, Indigo, Pizza Pizza, Sears Canada and in TELUS, Rogers, and Freedom Mobile retail stores. Just tap with your phone as you would with your participating credit, debit or prepaid card. It’s that simple.

You’ll also be able to breeze through checkout in your favorite apps, including Lululemon, Uber, Ritual, HotelTonight, and more. Just look for the Android Pay button, and say goodbye to entering your payment and address details each time you buy.

Android Pay also stores your gift cards, loyalty cards and special offers right on your phone.

How does Android Pay work? 

Using Android Pay is simple. Just wake up your phone (you don’t even have to open an app or unlock it), hold it near the payment terminal, and voilà—your payment is done. After you check out, you’ll get helpful information on your phone about your recent transactions.

To get started, install the Android Pay app from the Google Play Store. It’s available on all Android devices that are NFC-enabled, supporting Google Play Services, and running on KitKat 4.4 or higher. Simply open, set up, and get tapping.

Over the next several days, Android Pay is rolling out with support from eligible Visa and MasterCard credit cards from BMO Bank of Montreal, CIBC, Banque Nationale, Scotiabank, Desjardins, President’s Choice Financial, ATB Financial, and Canadian Tire Financial Services in Canada, and prepaid Scotiabank and Desjardins cards. Support for Interac-branded debit cards will begin roll-out on Monday, and support for American Express cards and Tangerine is coming later this summer. You can add multiple eligible cards and select which card you want to use before you pay, so you can always enjoy the best deals available.

We've teamed up with many leading payment platforms, processors, and technology providers such as Moneris, Bambora, Chase, Cybersource, First Data, Global Payments, Paysafe, WorldPay and Stripe to make it even easier to accept Android Pay. Visit the Android Pay API developer site to learn more.

Happy shopping!