Google is expanding the reach of Android Pay, adding in-app payments in the US and promising international launches, beginning with Australia, for 2016.
Launched in the US in September, Android Pay initially focused on in-store mobile NFC payments, letting users tap and pay with their handsets at more than a million locations across the country.
Following in rival Apple Pay's footsteps, the system now works for in-app purchases. Lyft, OpenTable, Parkwhiz and Hotel Tonight are among the firms to integrate the new feature for launch, with Google urging others to visit the Android Pay API developer site for details on how to join.
Separately, Google says that it is working with ANZ, Westpac and other banks to launch Android Pay in Australia in the first half of next year, with more countries to follow. The collaboration with Google stands in stark contrast to the stance of Australia's biggest banks on Apple Pay, which has been given the cold-shoulder by the banking industry because of Apple's demands for a slice of interchange fees.