When you’ve made some purchases through your Google account, you will have to confirm it either through your fingerprint sensor, your password, or your face. But now Google seems to be testing out another way to confirm that you are indeed buying something: through Google Assistant voice confirmation. This seems to be available only for a few users but they have confirmed that they are indeed testing out this feature that is meant for Google Assistant-enabled smart speakers and displays.
The folks over at XDA Developers shared that they are seeing the feature toggle on their Google app. Head on over to Google > More > Settings > Google Assistant > You > Payments. If you haven’t set up your payment method, you can easily add your credit or debit card or in some countries, carrier billing is also accepted. Once payment options have been added, you’ll see a window with your default payment option, billing address and confirmation options.
Previous options for confirmation include password or pattern, your fingerprint, or your retina/face. But now you’ll see a new option for voice confirmation. But it will not work for all purchases made on Google. It’s only for in-app purchases and restaurant orders. It will not work for Google Shopping, Google Play Movies & TV, or for other purchases made on your Google account. We don’t know if they plan to expand this later on.
Google intends to use voice confirmation for devices like smart speakers and smart displays that use Google Assistant. This is probably due to the fact that they don’t have fingerprint scanners or face recognition to be able to verify your purchases. It doesn’t mean that you will not be able to use it on your smartphone or tablet, but XDA recommends using biometrics for confirmation as it’s more secure.
There is no confirmation yet from Google if this will roll out as a permanent feature but for now, they confirm they are in the testing stage. We may hear something about this at the upcoming online event for the Android 11 beta launch on June 3.
