Google Wallet could return to iPhone

iPhone owners have been without a proper Google Wallet app for over a year, but that could be about to change. Code strings buried inside Google Play Services and the Quick Share Extension app now reference "Google Wallet" and "iOS" together.

iPhone owners have been without a proper Google Wallet app for over a year, but that could be about to change. Code strings buried inside Google Play Services and the Quick Share Extension app now reference “Google Wallet” and “iOS” together.

Five different references were spotted across the two apps, each connecting Google Wallet directly to iOS. On their own, strings like these don’t confirm a finished app, but they’re the kind of code references that can indicate development or testing.

Google Wallet was first introduced on iPhone in 2013, but Apple Pay took the lead in the mobile payments industry. Later, it was combined with Google Pay, which worked on both devices until the latter was shut down in 2024.

Apple’s decision to open the iPhone’s NFC chip to third-party developers with iOS 18 makes the situation slightly different. Google Wallet has traditionally required NFC-capable phones, but Google was not allowed to offer the feature on iPhones.

With Apple’s NFC now unlocked, Google would have a technical way to offer contactless payments through its own app.

This update comes alongside other updates to Wallet that are currently being released on Android devices.

An iOS app release at this time would allow Google to launch its new Wallet service on both Android and iOS.

Finding five strings doesn’t mean the product will be released soon. It could simply be an update in testing for an internal tool.