I/O 2016: Android Pay coming to ATMs & mobile Chrome users

By Roger Fingas

Widening the battleground with Apple Pay, Google on Wednesday announced that Android Pay will soon be usable at some ATMs, as well as by mobile Chrome users.

ATM support will initially be limited to Bank of America customers, though more partners may come onboard later, TechCrunch said. The feature will let people make a withdrawal from a machine using an Android phone instead of a debit card.

Apple Pay can already be used ATMs, but only in China, which may give Google a temporary advantage in its core American market. Apple has not announced any broader plans for ATM support, but could theoretically do so at WWDC 2016 in June.

Chrome will be getting Android Pay support via the cross-browser Payment Request API, which is currently being vetted by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Once adopted the technology will let people use Android Pay on webpages, instead of just through apps and at retail. At the moment Booking.com and Shopify are testing the technology with users.

A March report suggested that Apple Pay is also coming to the Web. This might initially be limited to Safari on iPhones and iPads, but could come to Macs as well. Some form of launch is expected to happen before the holiday shopping season -- like ATM support, there's a chance the feature could be revealed at WWDC.