Both Apple and Android users have now had the ability to pay for items for quite a while, with Apple Pay first being released back in 2014. Windows Phone users, however, have largely been left out of the fun — until now.
If you happen to be a part of the Windows Insider program and own a Lumia 650, 950, or 950XL, you’ll finally be able to tap to pay thanks to a new version of the Wallet app, which makes use of the NFC chip in your phone to pay at stores that offer mobile payments.
As part of the app, you’ll also be able to store coupons, loyalty cards, and so on. Don’t, however, expect to be able to make full use of the app just yet — even if you’re in the Windows Insider program, you’ll also have to be in the U.S., and use one of the few cards currently supported. Not only that, but you’ll also have to deal with using potentially buggy software, which might make you a little nervous considering the sensitivity of the information stored in the app.
Of course, it’s nice that Microsoft is finally thinking about mobile payments, but it’s still not known when the feature will be brought to those outside of the Windows Insider program. As Engadget notes, however, it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise to see the feature rolled out to consumers in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update to be released during the summer. Still, even when it is released to the public it will likely take a while before there are a ton of partners onboard as far as cards go, and it will only work with phones that have an NFC chip.
While this feature won’t change the mobile payment game, it is nice to see that Microsoft hasn’t totally given up on its mobile users yet.
