These 4 Cool New Google Wallet Features Make It Easier To Track Your Purchases

Software, or mobile apps, ebb and flow with updates and new features that eventually change how they work, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. Most of Google’s products and apps follow this trend, from Android to Google Maps and everything in between, including Gemini, its AI platform. Google Play Services, an app or tie-in service connected to its entire ecosystem, also gets updates, sometimes to improve connected services. That’s precisely what happened with a new update that changed quite a few Google Wallet functions. As part of Google Play Services version 26.40, a host of new features have been added, most notably to Google Wallet, which introduces some pretty cool updates.

Before we dive into the new features, let’s discuss the update itself. How do you get it? Critical app updates like Google Play Services roll out incrementally as they become available —this latest update should be available to you soon, if not already. You can either open the Google Play Store and check for updates as you normally would: Profile icon (top right) > Manage apps and device > Update All or See Details under Updates Available. Or, you can check individually in Android Settings.

To do that, go to Settings > Apps > and find ‘Google Play Services’ in the apps list. You may need to enable “Show system apps” from the top-right menu. Once you find Google Play Services, tap on it and scroll down to App Details in Store. Tap that, and it should open the Google Play Store page for the Services app. If there’s an update available, you’ll see a blue Update button. If it’s not available, you’ll have to wait a little longer.

Until now, if you wanted to manage your purchase receipts through Google Wallet to build yourself a reliable paper trail, you had to enter the information manually. With this recent update, Google has now added an option to scan and add your receipts without the added work. It’s not entirely clear yet how this will work, as Google hasn’t provided more details than what you can find in the update release notes.

But presumably, this new feature should tie into everything else available through Google Wallet for digital purchase tracking. You can already track your online orders and deliveries easily with Wallet; why not receipts? Even if you’re not the type of person who scans and collates every receipt for every purchase, this is a welcome feature. Receipt tracking is essential for proof of purchase, rebates, warranties, and returns, and it simplifies taxes and helps you track both personal and business expenses, especially if you use your accounts for work or a small business. Tracking your spending also helps you stay on budget and identify areas where you can cut back, if needed.

The idea of Google Pay and Google Wallet is that you can use your added payment methods through virtually any store interface that supports it, including in your browser, like Chrome for Android. This update adds an option to bypass the payment request interface under certain conditions, letting you use seamless payments. It works when you provide the merchant with your name, email, and phone number. 

That makes sense, since you’re already verifying yourself with this information. Chrome also uses your Google Account sign-in and Wallet data to speed up browser-based autofill. But it’s one small way Google is improving the overall mobile payment and checkout process.

In addition to this small bump, Google has also improved how it displays merchant names in your Google Wallet transaction notifications. In other words, it’s much easier to see who you paid and why, including where you made those transactions, when you’re looking back at your purchase history. A little more clarity never hurts.

This is another feature with a bit of speculation behind it, since we don’t yet know how Google plans to deploy it and the update notes offer no extra details. However, Google Wallet will now include an in-app message center to send alerts, updates, and notifications. Google will likely use this to deliver critical financial updates, but it may also announce new Wallet features and share active promotions you can take advantage of.

Android Authority spotted a similar updates section that Google was testing, which included personal purchase summaries and other notifications. Google hasn’t officially confirmed it yet, but that’s likely how the new in-app message center will be structured. 

With the latest Google Play Services update rolling out to most Android users now, we won’t have to wait long to learn the finer details of these new functions. They also seem to fit well with the app’s broader scheme and what it offers. If you don’t use Google Wallet regularly, you might want to check out some of its seriously overlooked features. You can store passports and boarding passes, transit account details, event tickets and loyalty cards. If nothing else, it will slim down your wallet or purse; no more carrying large stacks of plastic or paper cards everywhere you go.