Google Wallet Update Brings Fresh Design, New Features
Today is Wednesday, and aside from some hit-and-miss Nexus 6 orders, Google is updating their apps and services. This time they're paying strict attention to Google Wallet, and giving it a facelift. As you might have guessed, it's getting Material Design. Lots of it. The entire app has been rebooted to reflect Google's pretty new design elements, as well as some actually useful new tweaks. You can now add money automatically via your bank account, and get balance alerts.
The previous version of Wallet was stuck at 2, but this update ticks it all the way up to 7. That suggests a lot of behind-the-scenes work we didn't see, but it's not all aesthetic. Google's Material Design is neat, and makes Wallet a lot more fun to use, but Wallet is also banking (pun intended) that all their riding on Apple's coattails will have you spending more.
It seems Wallet is also letting you transfer money to your Wallet card via automatic transfers from your bank account. These automatic deposits can be recurring, too, letting you better manage spending. If you're not good at watching your budget, but still want to use your phone to pay for stuff, alerts for a low Wallet card balance can also be set up.
New look, new features, and retailers that are actually accepting Wallet? Sign us up! Like all Google app updates, this one is rolling out incrementally, so keep your eyes peeled.