Google Pay now allows contactless payments via Pix

Google Pay can now use Pix as a means of payment using mobile phones. The announcement was made this Monday (4) at Google’s headquarters, with the participation of Google Brazil president Fábio Coelho and Central Bank president Roberto Campos Neto.

Approximately Pix using Google Pay on mobile phones uses NFC technology of compatible devices. Google explains that the tool was developed in partnership with Rede Itaú and has been tested on the brand’s terminals, but can also be regularly used by other companies.

In other words, the user will be able to make payments more easily using Pix by bringing his mobile phone closer, just like in Google Wallet. Google Pay currently allows payment methods that include credit, debit and prepaid cards, gift cards and now Pix.

To use Pix as a payment method on Google Pay, the user must go through a phased verification process. These include authenticating, redirecting to the financial institution, and finally logging into your financial account. It is also worth noting that the payment is made only when the mobile phone is unlocked. Besides Itaú, C6 Bank and PicPay banks are also part of the launch.

During the event, Neto also commented on the programmable Pix, as well as the fact that we are in a period where instant payments are becoming widespread. Since 2018, he notes, Pix has seen Open Finance and Drex “find themselves.”

A second innovation was also included in Google’s launch. It is now possible to use Pix as a payment method using the new “Pay with GPay” button in e-commerce store applications. Google explains that the functionality can be adopted by e-commerce via an API.

Fraud in payment methods

According to Neto, BC is working “in three dimensions” to improve instant payment methods and prevent digital fraud. The proposal includes, for example, preventing fraud, tightening account opening rules, and preventing the use of orange accounts.

“We think in three dimensions: Fraud happens because the recipient is an account. If I’m going to commit fraud or some kind of sudden kidnapping [financeiro]I need to transfer money from one account to another,” says Neto. “There are a lot of orange accounts and ghost accounts, so we need to tighten these criteria when opening accounts. “In this way, we can reduce the number of orange accounts,” he says.

The second dimension is providing people with opportunities like scheduling payments, Neto says. “On a specific schedule, at a specific time, or set values.” The proposal, he says, is to make the use of payments more user-friendly.

Finally, Neto talks about using a database with artificial intelligence to detect fraud patterns. According to him, the aim is to predict such behavior. The President of the Central Bank also states that the institution is working on a new functionality that includes tracking, blocking and refund of amounts.

Pix in Chrome and Night Mode

During the presentation, two new features were announced by Google. The first of these is a preview of a feature. “In the coming months,” Google Chrome will be able to rely on Pix payments directly from the browser, the company says.

This option should come in handy when completing an e-commerce payment without leaving the browsing environment, for example.

The second focuses on security. Google Wallet gains a “Night Mode” feature that, when enabled, does not allow transactions via Pix “to individual accounts of unknown beneficiaries between 8pm and 6am at night”. This new security step can be enabled from the app’s settings menu.

Article updated…