https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/18/23030464/google-wallet-return-pay-screen-manage-cards-passes
Google Wallet may be making a return

Google seems to be working on bringing Wallet back in some form after it
made the app part of Google Pay (via Android Police). According to Mishaal
Rahman, the company is creating a Wallet interface for Google Play Services
that will act as a way to access and manage your payment and transit cards,
passes, rewards memberships, and more.

Currently, you manage most of these in Google Pay, and it seems likely that
you'll be able to get to the new Wallet UI from within that app, which
Rahman says will still be used for contactless payments. It also appears
that the cards you put into your Wallet will be accessible from elsewhere,
as the screenshots show a link saying "learn how passes in your Wallet will
appear across Google."

Google Wallet started as Google's NFC payment app in 2011, acting as a place
for you to store payment cards digitally. Over its life, it evolved as a
digital (and sometimes physical) payment service over the years to become
sort of a Venmo competitor before it was folded together with Android pay to
create Google Pay in 2018. That app has since been totally revamped, turning
into much more than an app you use to send friends money and store your
digital cards.

That transition has been confusing for some, and the fact that Google Pay is
trying to handle everything related to payments (Google even planned on
launching a banking service for it, but the project was scrapped) probably
doesn't help. If Google is bringing back Wallet as a separate location to
manage your cards, it could help focus the Google Pay experience back
towards paying at stores and sending friends money.

On 4/19/2022 12:13 AM, NewsKrawler wrote:
> https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/18/23030464/google-wallet-return-pay-screen-manage-cards-passes
> Google Wallet may be making a return
>
> Google seems to be working on bringing Wallet back in some form after it
> made the app part of Google Pay (via Android Police). According to Mishaal
> Rahman, the company is creating a Wallet interface for Google Play Services
> that will act as a way to access and manage your payment and transit cards,
> passes, rewards memberships, and more.

I always thought it was a little strange that all my non-payment cards
were in Google Pay, like the library card, medical ID card, etc.. It
didn't really matter, but the Apple Wallet system seemed more logical,
even though Apple Wallet has been less functional than Google Pay
because of the difficulty of adding cards that are not officially
supported. I documented this in the document
<https://tinyurl.com/iOS-Android-Features>, 133a and 134a on page 58.

sms wrote:

> I always thought it was a little strange that all my non-payment cards were in
> Google Pay, like the library card, medical ID card, etc..

Mine are in "Google Cards"

In article <t3mgp6$vfi$1@dont-email.me>, sms
<scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

> I always thought it was a little strange that all my non-payment cards
> were in Google Pay, like the library card, medical ID card, etc.. It
> didn't really matter, but the Apple Wallet system seemed more logical,
> even though Apple Wallet has been less functional than Google Pay
> because of the difficulty of adding cards that are not officially
> supported.

apple provides the method to add cards. it's up to the card issuers to
support it or not.

> I documented this in the document

which has been refuted many times over.

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
> sms wrote:
>
> > I always thought it was a little strange that all my non-payment
> > cards were in Google Pay, like the library card, medical ID card,
> > etc..
>
> Mine are in "Google Cards"

Is that because you don't have/use Google Pay itself?

BTW, I couldn't find a "Google Cards" app in the (NL) Google Play
website. Only a "Cards" app, but that wasn't by Google LLC.

Do you have the Google Play 'id' (or full URL) of your app?

Frank Slootweg wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> sms wrote:
>>
>>> I always thought it was a little strange that all my non-payment
>>> cards were in Google Pay, like the library card, medical ID card,
>>> etc..
>>
>> Mine are in "Google Cards"
>
> Is that because you don't have/use Google Pay itself?

My bank doesn't support Android NFC payment, their own app handles NFC payments,
so I don't use Google Pay for anything else (perhaps I should, see below)

> I couldn't find a "Google Cards" app in the (NL) Google Play
> website. Only a "Cards" app

Actually, that seems to be the one I'm using for my loyalty cards!

<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardsapp.android>

> but that wasn't by Google LLC.

I have a feeling I saw the "offered by Google Commerce Ltd" and interpreted that
as meaning google were the developer (plus of course the colour scheme of the icon)

Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
> Frank Slootweg wrote:
>
> > Andy Burns wrote:
> >
> >> sms wrote:
> >>
> >>> I always thought it was a little strange that all my non-payment
> >>> cards were in Google Pay, like the library card, medical ID card,
> >>> etc..
> >>
> >> Mine are in "Google Cards"
> >
> > Is that because you don't have/use Google Pay itself?
>
> My bank doesn't support Android NFC payment, their own app handles NFC
> payments,

Same here (NL/EU). As I said in the other thread, our banks' apps
predate Google Pay and Apple Pay and ..., so there's no need for those
(other than when visiting other countries (if you insist on paying by
phone)).

> so I don't use Google Pay for anything else (perhaps I
> should, see below)
>
> > I couldn't find a "Google Cards" app in the (NL) Google Play
> > website. Only a "Cards" app
>
> Actually, that seems to be the one I'm using for my loyalty cards!
>
> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardsapp.android>
>
> > but that wasn't by Google LLC.
>
> I have a feeling I saw the "offered by Google Commerce Ltd" and
> interpreted that as meaning google were the developer (plus of course
> the colour scheme of the icon)

Yes, I fell for those as well and had to check some other random app
to see that they all say "Offered By Google ...".

The colour scheme of the icon is rather sneaky! They have all the
colours except green, that's probably their way to try to get away with
it.

Mystery solved.

Frank Slootweg wrote:

>> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardsapp.android>
>>
>>> but that wasn't by Google LLC.
>>
>> I have a feeling I saw the "offered by Google Commerce Ltd" and
>> interpreted that as meaning google were the developer (plus of course
>> the colour scheme of the icon)

> Yes, I fell for those as well and had to check some other random app
> to see that they all say "Offered By Google ...".

To concur with both Andy & Frank and to strive to always add more value...

In Aurora, even with a filter for free, no ads, no GSF, etc., a search of
"cards" comes up with a ton of (card) games (and not the app that we want).

Interestingly, simply allowing "Requires GSF" _does_ bring up the Card app.
<https://i.postimg.cc/jdN9wKNW/cards01.jpg>

> The colour scheme of the icon is rather sneaky! They have all the
> colours except green, that's probably their way to try to get away with
> it.

Note in the screenshot above that _all_ apps that you get from the Google
Play Store repository (even if you don't use Google Play Store itself),
say "Offered by Google Commerce LTD".

> Mystery solved.

It's most helpful when referencing apps with common names to be explicit.

*Cards* - Mobile Wallet, by Cards
free, ad free, requires GSF, Rated 4.4, 5M+ Installs
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardsapp.android>

Also note that my FOSS Google Play Store client automatically filters out
all Google apps so that's one way Andy might have been able to better tell.
<https://i.postimg.cc/gjcTf6j1/aurora16.jpg>
--
The best part about Usenet is that some people are purposefully helpful.

Andy Burns wrote:

>> I always thought it was a little strange that all my non-payment cards were in
>> Google Pay, like the library card, medical ID card, etc..
>
> Mine are in "Google Cards"

There are few people on this newsgroup who add value, where, if Andy uses
it, it's likely an app that I want to check out, even as I don't use any pay
systems on a phone (for the obvious privacy/security reasons).
<https://i.postimg.cc/d3jcPYJS/cards02.jpg>

Here's the URI (to provide an easy-to-click reference to the app).
*Cards* - Mobile Wallet, by Cards
free, ad free, requires GSF, Rated 4.4, 5M+ Installs
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardsapp.android>

I installed that Cards app Andy suggested and was happy to see it passed the
first test in my 1-strike-you're-out quicktest of new Android apps, which is
it doesn't require a login account (no app on my phone ever requires that!).
<https://i.postimg.cc/jdN9wKNW/cards01.jpg>

I was able to add an "Other" card signed in as a guest.
<https://i.postimg.cc/1tphqYWS/cards03.jpg>
Which survived a reboot, and which will last forever.... unless.

Unless you press the "Cards" app "Sign Out" button.
*Then all your work is lost*

You'll still have any desktop shortcuts the app made, but they won't work.
*Shortcut isn't available*

Bummer. It's too risky to use, IMHO, unless you create a login to their
server, and the whole point in having private stuff is NOT having it
on a server in the first place. Sigh. Poof. Gone. Nothing left.
<https://i.postimg.cc/jd6QLVyc/cards04.jpg>

Does anyone know if there is a "wallet" app that doesn't require the net?

Andy Burnelli wrote:

> I installed that Cards app Andy suggested and was happy to see it passed the
> first test in my 1-strike-you're-out quicktest of new Android apps, which is
> it doesn't require a login account (no app on my phone ever requires that!).

When viewing a given card, it turns the brightness up to "retina searing"
presumably this is to give checkouts a better chance of scanning the barcodes?

Andy Burns wrote:

>> I installed that Cards app Andy suggested and was happy to see it passed the
>> first test in my 1-strike-you're-out quicktest of new Android apps, which is
>> it doesn't require a login account (no app on my phone ever requires that!).
>
> When viewing a given card, it turns the brightness up to "retina searing"
> presumably this is to give checkouts a better chance of scanning the barcodes?

Are you asking me that? I see the ending question mark but I don't see a
question.

If I assume you're asking me to check it out for you, I just added my
medical insurance card to the "Guest" account and it doesn't seem to change
the brightness at all. But it's just a photo of the card that gets added.

What I did was the following:
a. Started the app
b. Hit the plus sign at top right
c. Chose "Identification Card"
d. Hit "Add Card" in a green box
e. Hit "Add" to add to the homescreen
f. Doubleclicked on the Identification Card
g. Hit the "Pair" button in a green box
h. It did a barcode scan (even though there isn't one)
i. Then it said "Done! paired with ####..."
j. I pressed the green "Got it" box
k. Then I had to repeat step (c) above
l. It came up in the "Card" tab
m. I hit the "Front" and "Back" tabs to snap photos

Back at the main screen I have to hit the 3 linear dots at top right.
Then I hit "Show Card" and up comes the identification card with 3 tabs.
Card. Front. Back.

Nothing seems too bright. I was gonna show a screenshot but I'd have to edit
out too much information to make it be worth it since it's just a photo.

The brightness of the card is exactly the same as the picture of the photo.

Maybe you're doing it some other way?

Note: I tried it with a Mastercard but it started asking me about cookies
and I figured it was "phoning home" somehow, so I canceled that action.
(What the heck does a Mastercard need cookies for?)

Andy Burnelli wrote:

> Note: I tried it with a Mastercard but it started asking me about cookies
> and I figured it was "phoning home" somehow, so I canceled that action.
> (What the heck does a Mastercard need cookies for?)

Trying with a Visa card... to help you see what it looks like on my phone.
(Luckily I can screenshot _anything_ on Android 'cuz this app doesn't want
me to but it doesn't even _know_ that I'm screenshotting it, now does it.)

1. Start the Cards app as Guest
2. Click the plus sign
3. Click the "visa" category
4. Click the "add card" box
5. Say "Add" to "add to home screen"
6. Click the Visa card inside the app again
7. Up comes a "Pair with your plastic card" and a green "Pair" button
8. Click the green "Pair" button
9. Click the "barcode" option and the "right arrow" at bottom right
10. It says "Done! Paired with ####" Next time show your digital card"
11. Press the green "Got It" button
12. Then add the front and back pictures as before

Interestingly, I tried screenshotting on the phone and it says that I can't
screenshot due to a security policy (but, heh heh heh, we know that t'aint
true!). I captured the error message when trying to screenshot on Android.

Here is what the VISA card & Insurance ID card look like in the app.
<https://i.postimg.cc/90pQ60PS/cards05.jpg> Added a VISA & an insurance ID

They're "white" but no brighter than any other white as far as I can tell.
Is that what you were asking me to help you with Andy?
--
I try to be helpful, especially to intelligent people who help me & others.

Andy Burnelli wrote:

> They're "white" but no brighter than any other white as far as I can tell.
> Is that what you were asking me to help you with Andy?

Yes, I was commenting that is seems to increase the screen brightness to maximum
for the duration of viewing a card, not that it's altered the
contrast/brightness within the image itself.

Andy Burns wrote:

>> They're "white" but no brighter than any other white as far as I can tell.
>> Is that what you were asking me to help you with Andy?
>
> Yes, I was commenting that is seems to increase the screen brightness to maximum
> for the duration of viewing a card, not that it's altered the
> contrast/brightness within the image itself.

Hmmm... I've been looking at the computer monitor the whole time, so I just
went over to the phone (which was fifty feet away while I was using it!).

It does seem pretty bright on the phone compared to how it looks on the
monitor, so maybe I'm seeing what you're seeing. Ah. I figured out a test.

1. I greatly lowered the screen brightness (It's usually fixed at the max.)
2. Then I went to the notes app (which has a white paper) and viewed that.
3. Then I went into the Cards app and noted the "white" was lower
4. But... as you noted... when I viewed the VISA card, it became brighter!

You can even see the effect when you close the VISA card but keep the Cards
app open. It doesn't drop instantly. It lowers within a short time period
much like how a fluorescent light bulb turns off in a dark room.

I agree with you that the brighness of the VISA card that I inserted did NOT
reflect what the screen brightness was set at. I observed what you observed,
but I only noticed it when I turned down the screen brightness to about
half.

By the way, since I've never used a wallet app, how are these things used?
Let's say I go to Costco (or wherever will take them), and I want to pay
with my phone. How do I do that using this app?

What kind of "phone reader" reads the picture off the phone?
Or does it use NFC? Or Bluetooth?

How does the VISA card get from my phone to the Costco cash register setup?

Andy Burnelli wrote:

> By the way, since I've never used a wallet app, how are these things used?
> Let's say I go to Costco (or wherever will take them), and I want to pay
> with my phone. How do I do that using this app?

I only use the "Cards" app to have a copy of various loyalty cards available, if
I've left my physical wallet behind, they checkouts scan he barcode from the
phone screen to collect any points.

> What kind of "phone reader" reads the picture off the phone?

A checkout till, either the glass plate with spinning laser, or the handheld
wand type

> Or does it use NFC? Or Bluetooth?
> How does the VISA card get from my phone to the Costco cash register setup?

I don't pay with that app, I only use my bank's own app for paying, handy if
you've left your wallet behind, but not as useful as the physical card, e.g. not
useable in many "pay at pump" petrol station, which need a chip-and-pin card
inserting, rather than "tapping" for NFC.