Samsung on Thursday confirmed it will be launching its digital payment service for Android phones. The service is dubbed as Samsung Pay Mini and will be launching first in South Korea before being rolled out to other countries.
Though Samsung has a mobile wallet called the Samsung Pay, it is only equipped on phones manufactured by the company. With the new Samsung Pay Mini, all Android phones will be able to enjoy the service seamlessly.
A report by Reuters states the new app will launch within the first quarter. A pre-launch trial is set to begin on February 6. Android users will be able to download the app and explore the features before it goes official.
Samsung is yet to announce the dates when it will launch Samsung Pay Mini globally.
Technology & Features
Devices need to run Android 5.0 Lollipop or above and have at least a 720p HD screen to support the platform. The app can be used for both online and offline payments. It currently supports domestic credit cards that include Samsung, Hyundai, BC, Hana and Lotte.
A new feature that is coming on both the apps will connect users to local online shopping malls for a hassle-free experience. The feature is simply named ‘Shopping’ and will allow users to shop from a wide range of participating stores.
On this lighter version of Samsung Pay, the company has also introduced a Rewards feature that offer benefits on the points accrued.
Samsung Pay launched in the US, in September, 2015. It uses NFC and Magnetic Source Transmission (MST) technology to allow secure mobile payments to be made at participating shops. Besides a Samsung smartphone, the service was also made available on smartwatches and tablets.
Before bringing the Samsung Pay Mini on Android, Samsung approached Apple to launch the stripped down version on the App Store. However, Apple is reported to have rejected the native app for iPhone.
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