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Google Wallet could soon put up a fight against Apple Wallet on iPhones
Sep 14, 2026 — 5:51 AM ET
- Google could be working to bring the Google Wallet app to iOS devices.
- Strings spotted in a couple of Google apps hint at iOS-specific features in the Wallet app.
- The app could offer contactless payments using the NFC chip on iPhones as well.
Google Wallet has plenty of useful features: you can save loyalty cards, add passes and tickets, and make contactless payments through the app without pulling out a physical card. Google is also working on new features to improve the app and has started rolling out a redesign with full-screen passes and a better UI. Now, it seems Google is finally considering bringing Google Wallet back to iPhones.
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Over the last couple of months, we have seen evidence that Google is working on Google Wallet for iOS. We spotted five strings across apps like Quick Share Extension and Google Play Services that specifically mention “Google Wallet” and “iOS.”
Google originally offered its wallet app on iPhone and Android in 2013. The company later merged it with the Google Pay app, which was available on Android and iOS devices as well. However, Google sunsetted Google Pay in 2024, and it is now only available in India and Singapore.
This has left iOS users without a Google-branded wallet app that they can use natively on the iPhone. Right now, the only way iOS users can manage their passes in Google Wallet is through the web version in Safari. If Google brings the Google Wallet app back to the Apple App Store, it could put up a strong fight against Apple Wallet.
It’s also worth noting that Apple opened up the NFC chip in iPhones to third-party apps with iOS 18. The original Google Wallet app only worked on devices with NFC. Google later dropped that requirement, allowing nearly all Android phones to support the app and enabling Google to expand it to iPhones. If Google launches its Wallet app on iOS now, it could, in theory, also use the iPhone’s NFC chip to offer contactless payment support.
Though these strings hint at some intersection between Google Wallet and iOS, they may not point to a dedicated iPhone app. We will need more evidence to be sure that Google is developing a native Google Wallet app for iPhone. However, it certainly seems as if something is in the works.
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