{"id":716102,"date":"2026-06-20T20:07:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T20:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/716102\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T20:07:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T20:07:14","slug":"one-small-change-made-google-wallet-so-much-better-on-my-pixel-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/716102\/","title":{"rendered":"One small change made Google Wallet so much better on my Pixel Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nothing makes me feel more futuristic than tapping my smartwatch to a terminal to pay for a bag of chips. However, there\u2019s one part of the process that has always been a bit annoying to me. Thankfully, Google Wallet on the Pixel Watch finally fixed it.<\/p>\n

See, when you make mobile payments with an Android phone, you don\u2019t have to actually open the Google Wallet app first. As long as your phone has been unlocked with some sort of security method\u2014PIN, pattern, finger, or face (if you\u2019re lucky<\/a>)\u2014the default card will automatically be used. That hasn\u2019t been the case on smartwatches, but a recent toggle changes things.<\/p>\n

Express pay for Google Wallet<\/p>\n

Finally, a faster way to tap to pay<\/p>\n

\"Samsung
\n Credit:\u00a0Bertel King \/ How-To Geek<\/p>\n

To be clear, unlike how it works with phones, you do need to open Google Wallet on a Wear OS smartwatch in order to tap to pay. That\u2019s why dedicating one of the button shortcuts to Google Wallet<\/a> is always one of the first things I do.<\/p>\n

I know this isn\u2019t that big of a deal, but I\u2019ve never understood why it works differently on phones and watches. You literally can\u2019t set up Google Wallet on a Galaxy Watch or Pixel Watch without enabling the screen lock. Granted, these devices only need to be unlocked once when you put them on, but they automatically lock when not on your wrist. If someone grabs a Wear OS watch off your wrist, it will lock before they can use it to pay for something.<\/p>\n

At any rate, Google added a feature called \u201cExpress Pay\u201d earlier this year. It allows the Pixel Watch to make mobile payments just like an Android phone. As long as the watch has been unlocked, you can simply tap it to the terminal, and your default card will be used. Easy peasy.<\/p>\n


\n \"Pixel<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe most useful Google Pixel Watch features that aren’t enabled by default
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Pixel devices aren\u2019t generally known for having tons of options for people to play around with. That doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t some goodies tucked away in the settings. Here are a few Pixel Watch features you should enable right now.<\/p>\n

Express Pay<\/a> is available for all Wear OS devices, but only the Pixel Watch has the option for \u201cTap to pay and transit.\u201d Other devices only have the option to use it for \u201cTransit only.\u201d Sorry, no bag of chips. Also, finding the option to turn Express Pay on is not super obvious.<\/p>\n

Open the Pixel Watch app and go to the \u201cGoogle\u201d section, then select \u201cGoogle Wallet.\u201d Select the card that you would like to be used when you tap your watch to pay. Finally, select \u201cExpress pay,\u201d toggle it on, and choose \u201cTap to pay and transit.\u201d<\/p>\n

This makes much more sense<\/p>\n

Express Pay took the mobile payment experience on the Pixel Watch from slower than a phone to much faster. With my phone, I still need to unlock the screen to make a mobile payment. Even if I\u2019m using Extend Unlock<\/a>, it will still make me enter my security method. This is a good thing, by the way.<\/p>\n

However, since my Pixel Watch only needs to be unlocked once when it\u2019s on my wrist, there\u2019s no step in between walking up to the register and tapping my watch to the terminal. It literally could not be quicker, and now I feel even more futuristic than I did before.<\/p>\n

\"Pixel<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tHeart Rate Monitor \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYes<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tColor Screen \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYes<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tNotification Support \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYes<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tBattery Life \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUp to 40 hours with always-on display<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tOperating System \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWear OS 6<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tOnboard GPS \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDual Frequency GPS: GPS, Galileo, Glonass<\/p>\n

The Pixel Watch 4 is made to work seamlessly with your Pixel (or other Android) device. The domed display offers a fantastic view of anything you need on your smartwatch, from the time to in-depth fitness insights.<\/p>\n

\"Hazel<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tBrand \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGoogle<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tColor Screen \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYes<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tNotification Support \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYes<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tOperating System \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWearOS<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tStrap size \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t41mm or 45mm<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tDimensions \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1.34 x 3.23 x 9.41in<\/p>\n

The Google Pixel Watch 3 is a performance-focused smartwatch featuring a larger, brighter Actua display available in two sizes, designed to enhance fitness tracking and daily productivity. It offers advanced running capabilities, readiness and cardio load tracking, and deep integration with Google’s ecosystem, all while delivering up to 36 hours of battery life with Battery Saver mode.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nothing makes me feel more futuristic than tapping my smartwatch to a terminal to pay for a bag…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":716103,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[165,74],"class_list":["post-716102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-mobile","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}