In 2017, Google introduced Family Link, a way for parents to easily monitor their kids’ phone usage with flexible parental controls. Since then, the service has steadily gotten better, but there’s one thing a lot of parents have been asking for: on-device payments. Google launched Google Wallet for kids on the Fitbit Ace earlier this year, but smartphone payments still weren’t possible. Starting next year, that will change.
Google will release Google Wallet for Android devices that have Family Link set up on them in 2025, 9to5Google reports — and it’s about time.
Cash is a thing of the past
The use of contactless phone payments has skyrocketed in the last decade. Here in the UK, I haven’t carried cash with me since Android Pay was released here in 2016, and most of the people I know don’t carry it either. It makes sense, then, that Google Wallet would make its way to children’s devices. Speaking to 9to5, Google explains:
Following the positive response of tap-to-pay on Fitbit Ace LTE devices, we’re expanding tap-to-pay for kids to Google Wallet. The new experience is built with safety in mind, and will allow parents to supervise their kids’ usage – including approving new cards, easily removing cards and viewing transaction history.
As Google said, parents will have access to a suite of administrative tools there, giving them insight to and control over their kids’ accounts. Based on what we know from the Fitbit Ace, kids won’t be getting all the features usually found in Google Wallet, though. Government IDs aren’t available, but event passes like cinema tickets are included. Of course, that could change when Wallet arrives on phones.
When Google Wallet for kids arrives next year, it will be available in the US and a few other countries. Google hasn’t mentioned device compatibility, but there is a chance it will be available on Pixel devices first, before rolling out to a wider selection of phones.
