Samsung Pay Headed to Verizon Phones

Good news for Verizon users with Samsung devices: Mobile payments are headed your way.

The carrier on Friday started rolling out an update that brings Samsung Pay support to the latest Samsung devices, including the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge+, and Note 5, according to Android Central. It will require an extra step on the part of users, though.

"According to the update notes, after the update is complete you'll be able to download and install the Samsung Pay app once it is available in Google Play — though we don't know when that will be," the report notes. "Phones on other carriers have simply had the app installed via the system update."

Announced at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, Samsung Pay arrived in the U.S. on Sept. 28 after first launching in South Korea. The service offers tap-to-pay functionality that's instantly compatible with thousands of payment systems worldwide using a combination of NFC and magnetic stripe transmission (MST).

At this point, Samsung Pay only works with cards from American Express, Bank of America, Citi Bank, U.S. Bank, and Synchrony Financial.

Besides Samsung Pay, the Verizon update also brings some security patches, including a fix for the latest Stagefright vulnerabilities, according to Android Central.

Samsung Pay users got a bit of a scare earlier this month when word spread that LoopPay, the now Samsung-owned company whose technology is central to the tech giant's new mobile payment service, was breached. Samsung, however, said Samsung Pay was not affected.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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