Google Looking to Buy Softcard, Pay Wireless Carriers to Bring Google Wallet Back Dylan Duarte February 20, 2015 To say that Google Wallet didn’t work out as Google had hoped would be putting mildly. There were a number of problems even before Apple got involved in the equation, but the release of Apple Pay put the seemingly final nail in Google Wallet’s coffin. Google is undeterred though, and determined to make Google Wallet work by using the tried and true method of throwing money at your problems. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is thinking about picking up Softcard, a mobile payments system that was co-developed by AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. They’re also considering paying carriers to prominently feature Google Wallet on their Android phones, possibly going so far as to cut them in on the profits from mobile advertising. Advertising is Google’s main source of revenue and, as The Verge points out, them willing to share that revenue shows just how badly Google wants Wallet to work out. Carriers have a lot to gain as well. Apple isn’t sharing any of the revenue or transaction information, so if Google is willing to do just that, it’s beneficial for both Google and the carriers to establish Google Wallet as a serious competitor to Apple Pay. Share This With The World!
