I can’t remember the last time I needed to use a physical wallet since I started using Samsung Wallet.
This acknowledges how well Samsung Wallet works, but my lifestyle and where I live have also made it easy to rely on a digital wallet.
In the world I live in, a worthy competitor isn’t a physical wallet — it’s another digital wallet. I prefer Google Wallet for tasks that Samsung Wallet isn’t well-suited to.
As much as I would love a jack-of-all-trades wallet, I’m glad I use Google Wallet as an alternative when I need to.
Google deserves credit here, but what fascinates me most is how different it is from Samsung Wallet, despite both being Android apps.
I didn’t think about this much at first. Then I realized how badly each exposes one of Android’s biggest cracks.
How Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet threaten the core idea of Android
Their restrictions go against the spirit of Android
Samsung Galaxy S21 is my main phone, but I also have Motorola Edge 50 Neo and iPhone 16e. Each of these handsets offers a different wallet experience.
The iPhone 16e is understandable because it is part of a different ecosystem.
What surprises me, though, is having to rely on a different wallet app when I switch brands within the Android ecosystem.
This isn’t how most people, myself included, have seen Android. Until a few months ago, I considered Android as a platform that stood for choices with fewer restrictions.
Neither Samsung Wallet nor Google Wallet are pro-choice, and both come with plenty of restrictions, going against the spirit of Android.
I can’t get Samsung Wallet to work with a non-Galaxy phone. It doesn’t work on my Motorola handset, which forced me to set up Google Wallet.
Brand-exclusive apps aren’t new to Android. But making an app for something as universal as a wallet doesn’t align with Android’s promise of flexibility.
While Google Wallet doesn’t lock users to a specific brand, it follows a subtler form of favoritism.
Google Wallet’s ability to automatically import passes from linked Gmail confirmations gives it an advantage that other wallets can’t match.
That’s a privilege only Google enjoys, thanks to its deep integration with Gmail. While it’s a great show of Google Wallet’s strength, Android feels less open and more selective.
I fear this could encourage other wallet apps to go the Samsung way and lock users to a specific brand or service.
This might promote innovation, but it does so by making consumers’ lives difficult. Something as important as a wallet app should never be a glue for any particular ecosystem.
The case for a more balanced approach
It would make Android feel more open to choices
I understand companies’ motivation behind brand-exclusive apps and the push to lock users in. But do they have to build a hard wall?
While the current strategy may be working for them, I don’t think that’s the smart thing to do in the long run.
Instead, a more balanced approach is what will be a win-win and make Android feel more open to choices.
For example, instead of making Samsung Wallet exclusive to Galaxy, the company should at least allow existing Galaxy phone users to run the app on another Android phone.
That would be a humble beginning. It could open the door for Samsung Wallet to become accessible to all, regardless of the phone I choose.
Apple has done it, Microsoft has done it, and Google has done it.
While each of these companies has a different take on which services work best when they are more portable, Samsung should rethink the definition of loyalty — at least when it comes to Samsung Wallet.
However, Google Wallet needs to fight a different battle. The less it depends on Google’s ecosystem, the greater its chances of winning.
Discouraging someone from taking the wrong path is a win, too.
Google doesn’t have to twist anyone’s arm — it only needs to set the right example. Otherwise, Android becomes the collateral damage — if it hasn’t already.
Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet can be Android’s best ambassadors
When I noticed how they highlight two different sides of Android, I wondered why these were the ones that triggered the realization.
It didn’t take long to find an answer: I use wallet apps almost every day.
In other words, I bear the brunt of an inconsistent wallet experience on Android every few hours. I’m sure many users share my pain.
The apps you use daily best represent what Android truly is. For me and perhaps many others, these include something as simple as apps that we use for payments and check-ins.
If Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet can reveal one of the OS’s biggest cracks, they can also become role models for what Android truly stands for. I can’t wait for that to happen.
