Google Wallet’s website has gotten the Material Design treatment, which means that it now follows Google’s own design and animation guidelines.
The website now matches the Wallet app on mobile devices with a minimal and sleek design. The service allows you to send money out in any amount in your Wallet account, look at your transaction history, and add your payment methods. The app has had Material Design for quite a while, so it’s refreshing to see the website updated.
This move also reaffirms Google’s commitment to keeping Wallet alive as a peer-to-peer payment service rather than retiring it in recognition of the growth and expansion of Android Pay. Android Pay is Google’s contactless payment framework, which allows Android users to use their phones to make payments at NFC terminals at various retailers around the world.
We've relaunched the #GoogleWallet web app, making it easier than ever to send money for free. Check it out! https://t.co/NP3hIAg5cP pic.twitter.com/w0MzMxbjaj
— Google Pay (@GooglePay) November 1, 2016
Wallet, on the other hand, is more of a competitor to the likes of Venmo and Square Cash. The website provides more or less the same functionality as the app, and it’s now simpler than before to send money on the web via the service.
Google has slowly been updating its websites to follow the Material Design guidelines it debuted in 2014 with Android Lollipop. While most of its apps have been redesigned to conform to the guidelines, several web services are still lagging behind, and specifically Google Calendar and Gmail. Google+, YouTube, and Inbox are a few examples of Google services that have a Material Design website.
Google Wallet is only available for U.S. users, and the updated website is live now if you would like to check it out.
