Google introduced Android Pay last week, and already its formal launch appears to have been delayed.
Tom Noyes, the former head of channels at Citi-turned consultant, blogged yesterday that he “was at a Top 5 Issuer and Google just called them to say Wallet (errr correction Android Pay) is delayed a little while they finish token integration.”
Google said that Android Pay will roll out with its upcoming Android M OS. There is no hard and fast date for the Android M release, although a beta of it is already in developers’ hands and should make its way into phones this summer. Presumably, the tracks for the release of Android M and Android Pay have now diverged.
Samsung Pay was also reported this week to be delayed until the fall. Previously it was expected this summer.
Noyes also confirmed what we wrote about previously: that Google is not getting the 15-basis point discount Apple extracted from the issuers for Apple Pay. Apparently, these less-than-savory bilateral deals resulted “in CEO-level conversations,” with JPMorgan Chase taking the hardest line on negotiations with Google. As Noyes put it, JPM said, “Google, you are no Apple.”
Words to live by.