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Leave the Phone in Your Pocket With Google 'Hands Free' Payment App

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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Think Android Pay is easy? How about being able to pay for items without having to pull out your wallet OR your phone? Google is making it happen.

The Web giant on Wednesday launched a new app called Hands Free, which — as its name suggests — lets you pay in stores "completely hands-free," according to Pali Bhat, Google's senior director of product management for consumer and merchant payments.

The free app is available now on iOS and Android devices, but the list of merchants that accept Hands Free payments is extremely limited. At the moment, Google is piloting the new payment system in a handful of eateries in San Francisco's South Bay area, including McDonald's and Papa Johns, and seeking feedback from those who try it out.

Here's how it works: Once you install the app and set it up, Hands Free uses Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and location services on your phone to detect when you're near a participating store. When you're ready to pay, just tell the cashier, "I'll pay with Google." The cashier will then ask for your initials, and use the photo you added to your Hands Free profile to confirm your identity.

Google is also "in the early stages" of experimenting with a new visual identification system at select stores that will help you check out even faster, Bhat wrote. This system uses an in-store camera to "automatically confirm your identity based on your Hands Free profile picture." If this sound a little creepy, rest assured that Google says all images captured by the Hands Free camera are "deleted immediately."

"We'll continue to improve the technology behind Hands Free, and we're excited to hear your feedback," Bhat wrote. Those who try it out will get a $5 discount on their first Hands Free purchase.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

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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