Softcard users will get no love from Google in the wake of the search giant’s acquisition of the telco-built mobile wallet platform.
In an FAQ published since plans for the acquisition were announced last Monday, Google disclosed that no user information stored in Softcard will be transferred over to Google Wallet.
That effectively means that Softcard users will have to lose all the valuable purchase data they had developed by using Softcard to date.
Softcard was founded in 2010 by AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless.
What is curious here is that Google insisted that, as part of the deal, it was “also acquiring some exciting technology and intellectual property from Softcard to make Google Wallet better.” That technology and IP apparently excludes any that allows for data-porting. According to the official deal announcement, Softcard will continue its service, but only “for now.” That’s small consolation now that Google has confirmed that Softcard data will not port over.
It is tough to figure out just how many consumers are Softcard users. According to the Softcard listing on Google Play, the Softcard Android app has been installed between 1 million and 5 million times. Clearly, active users are not going to be close to those numbers, but it appears that the quantity of Softcard consumers is not inconsequential.