Google has begun introducing a new split bill feature for its Google Pay platform. As reported by Android Police, the company began testing in Singapore in mid-September.
This comes soon after news broke that Google Pay was completely re-written from the ground up using Flutter. Prior to this, Google quietly got rid of the ability to conduct transactions on peer-to-peer apps.
This slightly annoyed some as they felt functionality had been taken away from the app. However, now Google has added a new split bill feature that may begin in alleviate some of the bad will towards the platform.
Google Pay begins testing split bill feature
Google has begun testing the feature in Singapore to iron out any potential flaws with the innovation. There is, however, no word on when and if this feature may roll out on a global scale. Therefore we will have to wait and see what comes up in that regard.
Prior to this dedicated feature, users could settle bills in Google Pay by sending or requesting money in pre-calculated quantities. However, this feature should make the process that little bit easier.
Google says the new feature will allow users to “form groups to organize and manage payments, as well as divide bills and other joint expenses within the app”.
The above screenshots give an indication of how this will work. However, they do not provide the entire workflow for how the system works.
Google also provided a support page that has since been taken down. However, if you search for it you can still see the steps provided in a featured snippet. This is shown below.
Singapore customers get more new Google Pay features
This update for those living in Singapore also came with a host of other new features to try out. These include PayNow support at two more banks and the ability to purchase movie tickets at Golden Village and Shaw Theaters. Users can also enjoy a new “scratchcard” rewards system.
Support for PayNow used to only work for OCBC customers, now it will also work with DBS Paylah! And Standard Chartered Bank. Users can also use it with retailer QR codes which makes shopping at smaller stores more convenient.
This all seems like very positive news especially for those living in Singapore. Hopefully, the bill splitting feature will quickly roll out across the globe after a successful trial in Singapore. However, will have to wait and see on that one.