Android Pay officially launched in the UK today, around ten months after the launch of Apple Pay.
Google confirmed the news on the Android Twitter account, writing: "#AndroidPay is available in the UK! Download from @GooglePlay, add your cards & tap to pay."
The mobile payments solution will be available on all near field communication (NFC)-enabled Android devices running KitKat 4.4 and above.
Like major rival, Apple Pay, Android Pay uses tokenisation, meaning that real credit and debit cards are not sent with the payments, but a virtual account number.
The application doesn’t need to be open to make the transaction and does not require any user input for payments of less than £30. For higher amounts, the user must enter security information.
The technology will work anywhere that contactless payment is available now, including many commercial outlets and on public facilities such as the Transport for London transport network.
Android Pay works with both MasterCard and Visa as well as banks including Bank of Scotland, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, M&S Bank, mbna and Nationwide.
Barclays is notably absent from the list, having unveiled plans to launch its own contactless mobile payments solution in June.
Other rivals include Apple Pay, featuring on NFC-enabled iOS devices, which was launched in July 2015, while Samsung Pay, a solution available on Samsung devices, is also set for a UK launch later this year.
While Android Pay is the most widespread operating system, devices with NFC capabilities are less numerous and tend to be more expensive.
There are also applications available across multiple operating systems such as LevelUp.
Mobile payments are popular since it means one less thing to carry, as a smartphone is usually kept close to or on the person. It is also a more secure way of paying than a card, as it can be used to add additional layers of authentication such as fingerprints.
