Google is still be in the process of bringing Android Pay to merchants’ around the U.S., however, the Internet giant is now beginning a new pilot project that will let you sidestep the need to “tap and pay” with any physical contraption.
Available now for Android and iOS, Hands Free was first teased last May though no launch details were given for the service. Now, however, Google is inviting South Bay (San Francisco) residents to take part in the early-stage program. It will only be open in a “small number” of local eateries, including McDonald’s and Papa John’s, in the locale.
Once you’ve installed the app and completed your profile, Hands Free uses a mixture of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and location-based services on your phone to establish whether you’re in close proximity to a participating outlet. When you go to pay, you tell the cashier that you’ll pay with Google, give them your initials, and the cashier then verifies that you are who you say you are by looking at the photo on your Hands Free profile.
In some stores, Google said that it’s doing away with the need to use your initials — a carefully positioned camera will scan your face and match it against your profile to authenticate and process the transaction. Google is quick to point out that the images are deleted instantly.