Jordan O'BrienThe Google Assistant may soon be able to process payments using nothing but a user’s voice, in a move that could threaten Amazon Alexa’s dominance in the marketplace.
Members of XDA Developers recently picked through a new beta version of the official Google App for Android, which revealed a few details regarding voice-activated payments. The code has yet to be fully implemented, however, meaning it’s still unclear regarding how it will work – but Google already has much of the infrastructure in place, including Google Shopping and Android Pay.
Voice payments has been Amazon’s bread and butter for its voice-activated AI, Alexa. The retail giant has long tied a user’s payment card details with their Echo and Echo Dot, allowing users to make impulse purchases quickly and without any friction using nothing but their voice. It has been the Amazon Echo’s flagship feature since launch, and it’s still the only voice-activated speaker that can boast it.
Google is being extremely bullish regarding the future of its voice-activated AI, and despite Alexa’s dominance at CES 2017, it seems Google isn’t afraid of a fight. Amazon is already the largest online retailer in the world, meaning Google is now preparing to take on a retail giant at its own game.