Verizon denies blocking competitive Google Wallet Verizon Wireless has denied blocking its users from Google’s Wallet system, but has admitted that that its customers won’t be able to use the payment application anytime soon. In a statement to The Register, Verizon stated categorically that the company does not block applications. However, in a line of thinking that seems …
Wallet? What Wallet? According to Google it only works on Sprint phones, not on a Nexus on either AT&T or T-Mobile networks.
Let's face it - in the USA any mobile technology is going to be 10 years behind the rest of the world because it's not in the networks interest to stay up to date and they don't give a damn about their customers since they hobble them to contracts.
The operators need to be knocked down to bit pipes, nothing more. Unfortunately it seems the masses like their crappy services bundled together because one bill is so much less complicated than multiple bills. Heck, the infrastructure might improve if the operators actually focused on taking care of the pipes instead of devising ever more crappy add-ons and blocking competing services. It would be swell to have access within a single digit multiple of the advertised "up to" rate.
“Google Wallet does not simply access the operating system and basic hardware of our phones like thousands of other applications. Instead, in order to work as architected by Google, Google Wallet needs to be integrated into a new, secure and proprietary hardware element in our phones.”
"Our" phones. There you have it, if you have Verizon and the screen is broke, take it back and demand that they fix their phone.
The phone in question that it's missing from is the Galaxy Nexus, so it shouldn't be that hard to get it on there if you really want it.
It can be installed on the UK version... errr... apparently... so I've heard. Attaching a UK card or topping up the Google pre-paid one from the UK more of a problem though.
I was using Google Wallet until I had a problem. I went to Google's website to contact a human being (ha ha ha). There is no phone number. There is no email. There is a heavy java form submission which will pass on your concern directly to the merchant. There is no way to contact Google about a problem with my credit card. All of Google's emails come from noreply. Email to support is bounced back as no such user. Yet, I was giving them all my banking information.
I deleted all my banking information from Google Wallet. I hope they go belly-up. This is what Verizon means when they say they want to provide a good customer experience.
Google - if you want to play with my money, you have to provide a phone number to call when I have problems. I am weary of talking to a machine.
To be honest, given Google's current position, I really don't think they are the best choice out there for an alternative payment system, particularly if they are going to do a PayPal, and claim that they are not a financial institution and therefore don't need to pay any attention to the FSA etc.
'We have yet to screw a deal out of Google in order to get a percentage of every sale/purchase made through any device we have thoroughly shat-on with our 'custom' ROMs'.
I wouldn't use Google wallet anyway, but I'm well aware of the shitty devices Verizon/Vodafone pump out and then refuse to support if you decide to install the proper firmware for your device.
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