We have no idea why Verizon Wireless is really doing this but the mobile carrier is now being accused of modifying its version of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. We’re not picking any sides yet but there are talks going on that the company has deleted Samsung Pay when it’s supposed to be native to the two latest premium flagship phones.
This is a bit confusing and annoying to those who’ve been waiting and wanting to use the mobile payment service to make cashless and cardless transactions in the US. While the app can still be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Galaxy Apps, sad to say, you cannot. Others are saying that searching for “Samsung Pay” on the app stores won’t yield any relevant result.
Rumor has it that Verizon demanded Samsung to delete the app. This issue is only with the Verizon variant of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge as noted by Android Police earlier. Why the absence of Samsung Pay from the device? Could it be because Verizon is more in favor of Android Pay which is Samsung Pay’s biggest rival today? And why would Verizon favor Android Pay instead? Android Pay became Google Wallet’s replacement when Softcard shut down last year. Softcard, of course, was once supported by Verizon (T-Mobile and AT&T too). It was a result of a joint venture by the three biggest mobile carriers in the US. However in 2015, Google integrated it into the Google Wallet service.
That’s just a speculation and we don’t know if that’s Verizon’s final decision. We just know now that Samsung already responded and said the app will be available for download starting March 11 from Android app stores—both Google Play Store and Galaxy Apps. This is aside from the possible APK and side loading.
Honestly, there shouldn’t be an issue if only Verizon didn’t remove the particular app from the phones. We wonder why.
VIA: Android Police
Who knows why Verizon does what they do. One of the greediest companies behind utility companies and oil companies