Google Assistant may soon help you make online purchases

Google Assistant may soon be able to help you carry out transactions, a teardown of a recent Google App APK file has revealed. XDA inspected the Google App beta version 6.11.13 and discovered it contained a number of strings relating to Assistant payment settings, including content regarding billing and delivery addresses.

The virtual assistant software is what powers Google’s voice-activated speaker Google Home, which already helps users with some transactions — like ordering an Uber or booking movie tickets through Fandango. It’s speculated that the proposed Google Assistant payment functionality, however, would allow Google Home and other compatible devices to be used for online shopping.

XDA indicates that you’ll be able to “Specify which Assistant-connected devices will be able to participate in making payments,” and notes an app string that says: “You’ll soon be able to pay for things,” suggesting that Google may tease the service soon.

Meanwhile, Amazon’s Echo devices, powered by its Alexa software, already support voice payments, though it’s not a perfect system.