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You know how we always say that when it comes to alpha’s, beta’s and developer previews that things are going to be broken? Well here’s a prime example. Just yesterday, Google announced that Android Pay was finally rolling out to everyone. While the Android 6.0 Marshmallow Developer Preview 3 is only available on the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9, those running it will not be able to use Android Pay. So those users have two options. Either wait for the final release of Marshmallow, or flash back to Lollipop and use Android Pay.
However, while Android Pay is not working on the Developer Preview, a Googler did come out and state that it will be working in the final version of Android 6.0 which will be shipping with the new Nexus hardware pretty soon. Sucks, but that’s how it is for now. It’s probably due to a few new API’s in Google Play Services that don’t play nicely with developer previews. Which means we could have this issue next summer with Android N developer previews.
Currently, Android Pay is making its slow rollout to everyone running Android 4.4 and higher. If your Android smartphone has NFC, and is running Android 4.4 or higher, you’ll be able to take advantage of Android Pay. Which is Google’s second attempt at mobile payments, after Google Wallet never really took off. Basically, you’ll just tap your phone on the terminal, enter your PIN or use the fingerprint sensor, and then approve the amount. It’s pretty simple, actually. But as always with stuff like this, the beginning could be a bit rocky.
As for Android 6.0 Marshmallow, we don’t have a firm date just yet as to when it’ll be final, as well as when the new Nexus smartphones will be announced. Currently on the rumor mill, we are looking at a September 29th announcement with pre-orders starting in October. Google has yet to confirm this, so we’ll have to take it with a grain of salt, at least for now. But we’re excited to get our hands on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and see what kind of goodies Google has for us this year.