Google Pay branding already spotted on Pixel 2 XL devices

Google has an irritating habit of producing multiple applications all with essentially the same purpose (see: every Google messaging/chat app). Thankfully, for Google’s payment apps at least, common sense prevailed after the search giant confirmed that Google Wallet and Android Pay will be merged together into a new brand – Google Pay.

While Google Wallet isn’t identical to Android Pay – the former focuses on person-to-person transactions, a bit like PayPal, while the latter was built for NFC transactions in retail stores – Google’s decision to combine each app’s functionality under a single, recognizable brand name is, as one of my colleagues perfectly put it, long overdue.

What we didn’t don’t know is how exactly Google will rollout its retooled payment system. Will you have to download an entirely new app, or will the Android Pay app get an overhaul in an upcoming update?

The answer is still up in the air, but multiple users are now reporting that Google Pay branding can already be found lurking on certain Android devices. A reader over at Droid Life discovered the G Pay-styled logo on a Moto X Pure within their phone’s default NFC payments settings.

Users have also found the logo hidden away on the Google Pixel 2 XL (it’s likely there on the standard Pixel 2 as well). A member of the Android Authority in the US verified its existence, although it’s worth noting that I can’t see it on my Pixel 2 XL here in the UK.

You can check if it’s on your phone by heading to Settings > Apps & notifications > Advanced > Default apps. Under Tap & pay, you should see an option to use Google Pay at supported payment terminals. It won’t work for the time being, of course, but its appearance suggests we won’t have to wait too long until the feature debuts, perhaps at Google I/O 2018?