Google Wallet hooks up with MetroPCS, promises update
A revamped Wallet is coming shortly, Google says -- potentially to iOS devices.
Amid mounting competition in the mobile payments space, Google announced today that a second carrier will support Google Wallet: MetroPCS, the 9.5 million subscriber company that recently announced a merger with T-Mobile.
The news, which was on Twitter, came the same day that Isis, a mobile-payment effort from Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile, launched in a trial. It also comes amid evidence that Google is readying a new wallet product that will support iOS.
A refreshed version of the Wallet Web site, first noticed by Business Insider, promises a new version of Wallet soon and offers a place to request an invitation. Clicking the link brings up a preference box in which users can specify iOS, Android, or "other."
Google Wallet, which offers a variety of ways to pay online and in stores using near-field communication (NFC) technology, has struggled among intense competition and limited availability on smartphones. It last revamped the product in August when it began allowing users to load their existing credit and debit cards into the smartphone app, which could then enable payments using NFC. No word yet on what features the new version might contain.
MetroPCS customers who have a Samsung Galaxy S3 can download and start using the app now.