Google today updated its Google Wallet app, adding several new features including gift card support and a new request money option.

New gift card management options join loyalty cards within the Google Wallet app, allowing users to store gift card information directly in the app. Gift cards can be redeemed in stores with the app, making it unnecessary to hold onto physical cards.

googlewalletgiftcard
Gift cards can be added manually or using the device's camera and for cards from participating retailers like AMC, Best Buy, Nike, and more, users are able to check gift card balance in real time and get location-based reminders to use cards when in a store.

It's now possible to use the Google Wallet app to request money from friends and family, sending a notification with an attached message.

For all those times when your friends forget to pay you back for dinner, you can simply request money using the Google Wallet app (for U.S. users, 18 years and older). They will receive a notification and can instantly pay you back. If they need a reminder, you can send them a friendly nudge from within the app. You can also send your friends a message right within Gmail, and request money just like you would attach a picture.

Finally, Google has introduced a Spanish language option and made it free to send money in the app when using a debit card. Previously, sending money required a 2.9 percent transaction fee from both a credit card and a debit card.

Google Wallet can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

outphase Avatar
148 months ago
Yeah, and Venmo, etc. There are a million of these things. Did you get paid to write this?
Nope. Venmo is also owned by eBay so I didn't mention it. Did you get paid to write that?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
John.B Avatar
148 months ago
Creepy Google is creepy. I'm not about to turn over detailed purchase history to the likes of Eric Schmidt, Larry Page, or their minions.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thefourthpope Avatar
148 months ago
Check out Square Cash. It's from the company that makes iPhone/iPad credit card readers. You link your debit card and you can send money to other people and have it auto-credited to your bank account without a separate account that holds the money until you withdraw like PayPal. You get $1 free just for signing up.

Non-referral link (http://square.com/cash/)

Nice to know about, thanks.
Still feels dirty giving google ALL of my info. Better to spread it out amongst the internet myself.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yvan256 Avatar
148 months ago
Google Wallet only works in a handful of countries.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kuwxman Avatar
148 months ago
Yeah but I can pay for my Starbucks with Passbook = True innovation ;)

:rolleyes: You could use Google Wallet to do the same on the iPhone if Apple wasn't so far behind the times with NFC technology. Android users have been able to pay for things with their phones for years.

----------

Creepy Google is creepy. I'm not about to turn over detailed purchase history to the likes of Eric Schmidt, Larry Page, or their minions.
There is always at least one of you per thread...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iOSaddict Avatar
148 months ago
People use Google Wallet?

Apart from the Android crowd, is there anyone out there who actually uses this? lol
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
walmart new ornametns

Walmart Black Friday Deals Begin Today With Low Prices on Headphones, TVs, and More

Friday November 14, 2025 7:55 am PST by
Walmart's Black Friday sale has officially kicked off today, with an online shopping event that's also seeing some matching deals in retail locations. There are quite a few major discounts in this sale, including savings on headphones, TVs, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 2

Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about. Measure App Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles. Games App There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent. CarPlay The...