Google's issues with fragmentation aren't limited to its Android operating system. Anyone that has ever paid for something in the real-world with Android Pay, purchased an app on Google Play or used Chrome to automatically fill in payment details is familiar with Google's fragmented payments ecosystem.
Fortunately, things should be a bit more streamlined and consistent moving forward.
Pali Bhat, VP of Product Management for Payments at Google, announced on Monday that the search giant is bringing together all of the different ways to pay with Google into a single brand known as Google Pay.
You may have already seen Google Pay branding in the wild as it is currently featured on Airbnb, HungryHouse, Instacart, Dice and Fandango. Bhat said Google Pay will be coming to more sites and services in the coming weeks.
Think of it more as a rebranding rather than a change to Google's underlying products or technology. "With Google Pay, it'll be easier for you to use the payment information saved to your Google Account, so you can speed through checkout with peace of mind," Bhat said.
The executive added that bringing everything together under one brand is "just the first step" for Google Pay although unfortunately, Bhat didn't elaborate much on the subject. As such, we'll have to wait and see what other changes Google has in store for its payment platforms. For now, however, it doesn't sound as if much is changing - just the name.