Google’s Android Pay mobile platform will soon support PayPal as a payment method within the app, the two companies announced on Tuesday. Google and PayPal described the move as yet another step in their continuously growing partnership that already saw them collaborate on a number of different products and services. The firms have yet to clarify when exactly will Android Pay start supporting PayPal as a valid payment option, but the feature is expected to roll out in the coming weeks. All smartphones running Android 4.4 KitKat and newer versions of Google’s ubiquitous operating system will support the new functionality, the companies said. This specific software requirement is unsurprising seeing how Android Pay itself officially doesn’t work on any older versions of Android.
Once PayPal integration debuts in Android Pay, users of Google’s mobile payments solutions will be able to link their PayPal account with Android Pay like any other compatible credit card, meaning they’ll be able to make purchases with PayPal at all locations that support the Android-powered platform. Apart from extending the versatility of Android Pay, the newly announced partnership is also expected to benefit PayPal as the popular online payments service continues looking for new avenues of growth in an effort to further solidify its already strong position on the market. In an announcement published on Tuesday, Bill Ready, PayPal’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer implied that the company might collaborate with Google on more projects in the future, though no further specifics have been given.
The announcement of Android Pay’s support for PayPal comes only hours after Google’s mobile payments platform expanded its support to five new banks in the United States. Google’s service extended its support to over 150 additional banks this year already, indicating the Alphabet-owned company is now looking to promote Android Pay more aggressively than ever. As the number of Android Pay-enabled devices keeps increasing, Google is expected to try to position the service as the top mobile payments solution in the world, though the company is still facing competition in the form of Samsung Pay and similar solutions that are reportedly also looking to expand to more devices in the future.