New Android OS doesn't support mobile credit card payments

By Marvin Milner on Dec 10th, 2010

The new Gingerbread operating system for Google Android phones allows for near-field communication, which could have enabled users to load their credit card information onto the smartphone and use it as a kind of digital wallet. But after the OS was released, it was discovered that it will only allow for receiving NFC transmissions, not sending them, according to the news site Android Police.

This means consumers will not be able to take on credit card debt using their phones, the report said. As the operating system is incapable of sending signals of any kind, it would not be able to communicate with point of sale scanners in stores.

Google's primary competitor in the smartphone market is Apple's iPhone, which has recently been the subject of some mobile credit card payment test runs. There is speculation that the upcoming iPhone 5 will function as a digital wallet.

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