Android Pay and Apple Pay: Which is the best payment system?

Mobile market, it’s a fact, dominated by Google and Android on the one hand and Apple on the other and his iPhones. However, these two eternal rivals are not content to enter a relentless war in the mobile operating systems industry.

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Apple and Google are two very different philosophies, two very different strategies, but in the end, these two opposing firms are fighting for the same thing: market share in the mobile world. And now it’s your turn to be the center of attention for contactless payment methods. With Apple Pay and Android Pay, Google and Apple matter gradually compete with traditional debit cardsto simplify the payment act as much as possible.

Very similar in appearance, the two systems use the NFC chip in your smartphone to allow you to pay directly with sellers without any contact and directly with your smartphone. So, in theory you no longer need to travel with your debit card to finally pay.

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In practice, these two systems are still in their infancy, and merchants equipped with terminals managing Android Pay and Apple Pay are still in the minority, whether in the United States or Europe. Again, There are some differences between Apple Pay and Android Pay.

Compatibility and user base

First of all, these two payment systems It is not cross platform, Android Pay is only compatible with Android smartphones with NFC chip, while Apple Pay only works on iPhones and Apple Watches. The operating system present on your smartphone will therefore point you to one or the other of these systems.

Note that the user base is particularly small at Apple. Only iPhone 6 and 6 Plus compatible with Apple Pay. However, it is possible to use this payment system with an iPhone 5, 5C or 5S, but to take full advantage of it you will need an Apple Watch connected to that iPhone and you will not be able to use Apple Pay. Forget your Apple Watch at home.

No commission for Google

Another key difference is that Google, unlike Apple, does not charge any commission for any payment made with Android Pay. However, the latter has been on the market longer and therefore currently has a wider network of partners, but a situation that could change quickly as we know Android is being installed on more devices than iOS. .

Android can break quickly because of this becoming more advantageous for traders and users thanks to the no commission decision and a larger pool of potential users. However, keep in mind that while not all devices have an NFC chip and therefore not all are compatible, there are far more Android terminals in the wild than Apple smartphones, especially since not all iPhones are compatible with Apple Pay.

Despite the fact that Apple has been in the industry longer than Google, Cupertino had announced the company. We have partnerships with 700,000 merchants in March 2015. Google announced the same number of partners, but a few months later. It’s unclear how many partners Apple has three months after its previous announcement, but if the firm seems to have a slight advantage over Google, it could quickly disappear and turn into a lag.

Transaction Security

necessary to attract as many customers as possible, transaction security is even more important If you do not want your bank account to be cut into tens or hundreds of Euros without any action on your part due to data hacking or fraudulent use of your smartphone with Apple Pay or Android Pay.

Apple and Google understand this, and both promise that your data is safe and secure, whatever the case. The payment systems offered by these two giants do not transmit your credit card information to the workplace, but reduce the risk of data hacking of your real credit card by creating a virtual, disposable card.

If the merchant’s database were to be hacked, only the information of the disposable credit card created by Apple or Google would go wild, a credit card that no one could buy anything from as it is no longer linked to anyone. account. so you don’t pay not directly with your debit card however, you must then reimburse Google or Apple for any payments made through their services.

What is the best payment system?

While each has its pros and cons, it looks like Android Pay will be much more efficient and hit the market than Apple Pay. The absence of commissions and the largest user base will undoubtedly allow it to gain momentum quickly, even with Apple and its currently more extensive partner network. It is a tough competitor.

However, this is certain to come with the arrival of new payment methods. radically changing the way we see the act of payment and let us make it less boring than the present, and above all, much simpler and more natural.