Google Wallet on Android may require verification for every tap-to-pay payment

Android users may soon be able to confirm their identity for every contactless payment made with their phone. This comes from reports by Android Authority, relayed by the Polish site Spider's Web on 2 November 2026.

How it works now

Currently, Android does not require identity verification before each contactless payment. If the phone was unlocked earlier, the user has three minutes to pay without any extra confirmation.

You do not even need to open Google Wallet on screen, and you can hold the phone to a reader while using any app. On some models you can pay for small purchases even with the screen locked. In the settings, however, you can switch on a requirement to wake the device each time.

What has been spotted

A new switch labelled "Require extra verification" has been spotted in a test version of the Google Wallet app. According to the reports, Google will introduce extra verification for every contactless payment. Before holding the phone to a terminal, you would have to place your finger on the sensor or enter a PIN.

This would resemble what iPhone users already know. In Apple Pay, every payment requires a face scan, a fingerprint (on older models and the iPhone SE) or a PIN.

What is still unknown

The details of how the feature works are not yet known. It is unclear whether it will be on by default or only optional. The Spider's Web author assumes that, once enabled, the verification will bypass the three-minute window after unlocking, but this is his supposition, not confirmed information. Google has not officially announced a date or the scope of the change.

Such a solution would make it harder to pay with someone else's phone that has been left unlocked and has fallen into the wrong hands.

What this means for you

The source does not say in which countries the feature will appear. People paying with an Android phone in the UK or Poland can check the Google Wallet settings once an update becomes available. For now it is a feature spotted in a test version, and you do not need to change anything.