Google Wallet may soon let you trade convenience for extra payment security

Just a few days ago, we spotted a new Tap to pay option in Google Wallet’s verification settings. At the time, we weren’t entirely sure how Google planned to implement the feature. Now, a fresh look inside the Google Wallet app has given us a better idea of what to expect.

The latest Google Wallet update, version 26.43.1009867093, includes the new setting, which we managed to enable with some tinkering. More importantly, the ‘Tap to pay’ option no longer crashes when opened, and new text strings offer a clearer explanation of how it will work.

As we previously speculated, the setting could have something to do with how often Google Wallet asks users to verify their identity before making contactless payments. However, it doesn’t appear to be a way to skip unlocking your phone altogether.

Google Wallet will still require you to unlock your phone

Google Wallet already has a system that lets users make multiple contactless payments without repeatedly verifying their identity.

According to Google’s support documentation, users may not need to verify themselves again if they’ve already done so in the past few minutes. This is part of Google Wallet’s Enhanced verification system, which introduces a three-minute window after you unlock your device.

Once that window expires, you’ll need to verify your identity again before making another payment.

The new Tap to pay setting appears to offer more control over this behavior. As shown in the screenshot above, Google clearly states that “All transactions require that your device be unlocked but you can choose to verify again right before you tap to pay.”

This clears up one of our earlier assumptions. The new option isn’t designed to let users make regular contactless payments without unlocking their phones, as they can with supported transit payment systems. You’ll still need to unlock your device before paying.

What does the new verification setting actually do?

The new text suggests Google could let users decide whether they want to verify their identity again immediately before making a payment. However, we still don’t know how this setting will interact with the existing three-minute verification window.

At this point, we think there could be two possible scenarios:

If the additional verification option is turned off, Google could let users make subsequent payments without verifying themselves again, even after the three-minute window expires.

On the other hand, turning the option on could require users to authenticate again before every transaction, even if they’ve already unlocked their phones within the past three minutes.

The latter would effectively override the existing verification window, making users confirm their identity for every payment.

For now, we can’t confirm which of these behaviors Google will implement. The latest Google Wallet update makes it clear that the new setting isn’t about bringing transit-style payments to regular purchases. However, we’ll have to wait for Google to roll out the feature to see exactly how it changes the payment verification experience.