My daily driver is a Samsung Galaxy phone that supports Samsung Wallet. I use the wallet app almost every day, but I also have Google Wallet installed on my phone for serving a specific purpose.
If I ever change my primary handset from Samsung Galaxy to a phone from another brand, I’ll use the Google Wallet app as the default.
My Galaxy S21 is more than five years old and is no longer eligible for major Android software updates. So, I’ve started preparing to buy a new phone to replace my S21, though I haven’t yet finalized which one I’ll buy.
A non-Galaxy phone will likely replace it, as I’m gravitating towards a premium Google Pixel phone.
The preparation for it is not just saving money, but also getting used to living with Google Wallet as the primary wallet app.
So, I spent a week testing Google Wallet to see if I could leave my house without a bag. Here is how it went.
I don’t mind using Google Wallet as the default payment app
But it still isn’t as good as Samsung Wallet
Google Wallet isn’t consistent across all parts of the world.
For example, in my region, the app can’t make payments on its own using cards. Google Wallet redirects users to another app called Google Pay to complete the payment.
In the US, the experience is better because it doesn’t require users to switch to another Google app to complete the payment.
That’s how it should be everywhere, but the company’s payment strategy is rather confusing, and the Google Wallet app suffers from it the most.
Why have the Tap & pay option in Google Wallet when another app will handle the payment?
However, the Tap & pay option in Google Wallet gives me hope that someday Google may merge the Google Pay app with Google Wallet, allowing users to make payments with a single wallet app.
I wouldn’t mind the current setup, though. Ultimately, what matters the most is that Google Wallet gets the job done. I can afford the inconvenience because it’s only one additional step.
However, I would’ve loved to see a Quick access-like feature in Google Wallet to launch the app quickly.
You can add a Google Wallet shortcut or use double-press to launch the app quickly, but they don’t come close to the home swipe up from the bottom gesture in Samsung Wallet.
It wouldn’t have mattered if Google Wallet could make payments on its own. In that case, all I would’ve required to do was take the phone close to the POS terminal, and Google Wallet would’ve completed the payment.
Google Wallet has a long way to go in supporting IDs
It’s getting better, but not quite there yet
I was well aware that Google Wallet isn’t nearly as good as Samsung Wallet at supporting digital IDs in my region. But I didn’t expect it to be this bad.
Google Wallet doesn’t support any transport passes in my state, nor does it allow users to choose from more than a couple of healthcare providers to generate and manage their health lockers.
I can’t fully trust Google Wallet to help me verify my identity on my phone because Aadhaar, which is India’s unique identification number, is the only ID it can store.
Unlike Samsung Wallet, I can’t store my driver’s license in the Google Wallet app. If given a choice, I’d store my driving license in Google Wallet over Aadhaar since it’s the ID I need more often.
The problem goes beyond its inability to store a driver’s license.
Documents like vehicle insurance certificates, marksheets, and a unique identifier from the Tax department are not available on Google Wallet. You’ll need to carry them all separately in your physical wallet.
I can trust Google Wallet to handle tickets better than anyone
I can’t praise Google Wallet enough for how well it handles my tickets.
I don’t need to add tickets to Google Wallet to store them, as it automatically imports them from my Gmail account after I receive a confirmation email in my inbox.
Google Wallet can also automatically import items like boarding passes, loyalty cards, and receipts from Gmail.
Using Google Wallet to show a ticket before I enter a movie theater has become a habit. With Google Wallet installed, I can turn a physical ticket into a digital one by taking a photo of it.
The way Google Wallet handles tickets and event passes makes it difficult for anyone to ignore Google Wallet.
After a week-long experiment, Google Wallet couldn’t replace my physical wallet
What’s holding Google Wallet back is its ability to let users store important government IDs. This is something my Galaxy S21 does incredibly well, thanks to Samsung Wallet.
If I buy a non-Galaxy phone right now and use it as my primary phone, I would use Google Wallet for its excellent ability to auto-import tickets and passes from Gmail.
However, I would also carry my physical wallet, though the good thing is it’d be less bulky.
