With New Google Wallet, Send Money to Anyone With a Phone Number

Google on Thursday announced a new and easier way to send money from its Google Wallet app. The app will soon let users transfer money even to those who don't have a Google Wallet account.

As elaborated by the search giant, the Google Wallet update will enable Android and iOS users to send money via a link through SMS. Before this, users were required to have a Google Wallet account to send and receive money via an email address.

Google Wallet users can send money by sharing a secure link with the recipient. The recipient will have to open the link and fill a form with the debit card number and other account details. Once the form has been filled and submitted, the funds will transfer automatically 'within minutes' according to Google. This feature is restricted to users in the US.

While Google says the updated apps with support for these features will be available in the "next few days", it seems the iOS app has already been updated to support this feature, while Android users may have to wait longer to receive the update.

The company in September redesigned the interface of Google Wallet app for iOS. The new UI gave users easy access to view their Wallet balance and their purchase history. The update made it easier to send money using debit cards, linked bank account, or the existing Wallet balance. It additionally made iOS users easily request for a Wallet Card using the Wallet app. Google in the same month launched a new version of its Google Wallet app for Android, called Google Wallet (New). The old app was renamed to Android Pay when the revamped service launched.