- Google has said that US customers who are using its old Pay app must now make a switch over to the new version in order to carry on using the service.
- Those who are unable to migrate will be able to have their current balance transferred to their bank account by a member of Google’s staff.
- Other changes, such as a raising of the minimum age to use Google Pay services from 16 to 18, are also set to come into force for US customers.
Tech giant Google has announced that there are big changes on the way to its Android app for Google Pay customers in the US.
The firm has confirmed that in April of this year, old iterations of the Google Pay app that are still available on the iOS and Android stores will now have their ability to make online money transfer transactions removed.
This will only affect online money transfer customers who are based in the US, the company said.
This is because customers there have access to a new Google Pay service that was announced last year.
Clients who are based in other markets around the world will be able to carry on using the current version without seeing their service interrupted.
Those in the US who are concerned about losing access to Google Pay services can take some steps.
One way to carry on accessing the service is to move over to the new mobile app and ensure that it is installed ahead of any major transaction points.
The new app was released by Google in November.
One crucial difference, however, is that the Google Pay website will now no longer function.
“Starting early in 2021, you won’t be able to use pay.google.com to send and receive money from other people,” it said at the time of the old app’s release.
“To send and receive money, use the new Google Pay app.”
However, even those who hang on to the old app will still have some access to certain Google Pay services.
They will be able to store payment cards on it, for example.
However, those who have a Google Pay balance in April will not be able to access it from the old app once that date rolls around.
If migrating to the new app is not an option, customers are advised to submit an application to Google to have the balance transferred to their bank account.
Google Pay can be accepted at in-person outlets that display either the contactless payment symbol or the Google Pay symbol.
As well as these changes to its product offering, customers in the US will now also need to be 18 years old to use the service.
The minimum age for accessing the service was previously 16.
Google Pay is just one of many international money transfer outlets operating in this sector – to discover more about what’s available, just read some of our reviews.
