Alphabet's Google is working on a payments app that does away with wallets, credit cards and cash. Instead, voice or facial recognition is used to confirm payment.
The app, called Hands Free, is being piloted in Silicon Valley at a small number of McDonald's, Papa John's, and other local eateries in the area.
Users have to tell the cashier at checkout: "I'll pay with Google." The cashier will ask for the user's initials and use the picture provided in the Hands Free app to confirm identity. Payment will then be charged to the linked credit or debit card.
Google is also testing (at a smaller number of stores) the use of visual identification as the sole payment method ? making checkout even faster. "This process uses an in-store camera to automatically confirm identity based on Hands Free profile pictures. All images captured by the Hands Free camera are deleted immediately," says Pali Bhat, a Google senior director, in a blog post.
Hands Free uses Bluetooth low energy, WiFi, and location services on the user's smartphone to detect whether they are near a participating store.
Google says since the launch of Android Pay in September, it has averaged 1.5 million new registrations each month in the US, and there are now over two million locations that accept tap and pay.
"At the same time, we also wanted to explore what the future of mobile payments could look like. Imagine if you could rush through a drive-through without reaching for your wallet, or pick up a hot dog at the ballpark without fumbling to pass coins or your credit card to the cashier."
This idea prompted the creation of Hands Free.
Google says Hands Free never shares the full credit card number with the store, and all payment details are stored securely and shared only with the payment processor. Other security features include the cashier only being able to charge when Hands Free detects the corresponding phone near the store.
Instant notifications are sent after every purchase and alerts of any unusual activity.
The app is available on Android phones that support Jelly Bean v4.2 or higher, and from the iPhone 4S upwards.
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