Google Inc. is starting to roll out Android Pay this week, seeking to catch up with Apple Pay and grab a chunk of the growing market for mobile payments.
The Web company, which announced plans for the service in May, has signed up partners including Macy’s Inc., Staples Inc. and Whole Foods Market Inc., said Pali Bhat, Google’s director of product management for the new feature, in a blog post Thursday.
Android Pay turns smartphones into digital wallets that store credit and debit cards, which can then be used in physical and virtual stores.
Google is betting Android Pay will help its smartphones lure more consumers. Like Apple Pay is built into iPhones, Android Pay will be integrated into smartphones running Google’s mobile operating system.
The mobile-payments market is projected to top $142 billion by 2019, up from $67 billion this year, according to Forrester Research Inc. Android Pay users will be able to shop for goods in more than 1 million U.S. locations and in more than 1,000 apps, according to Google, which competes with Apple Inc., PayPal Holdings Inc. and other rivals that have introduced digital wallets.
