Google's payment lineup has confused users for years, largely because of repeated rebranding. Google Wallet first appeared in 2011 as a peer-to-peer payment system, then became Android Pay in 2015, Google Pay in 2018, and returned to the Google Wallet name in 2022. Through all that, the standalone Google Pay app was eventually eliminated, leaving Google Wallet as the single app in the ecosystem.
The current split is simple: Google Wallet is the app that stores digital cards, vouchers, boarding passes, gym memberships, and library cards. Google Pay is the payment processing system that makes those stored cards usable. When you check out online and see Google Pay as an option, or tap your Android phone at a terminal using NFC, Google Pay is handling the transaction using a card saved in Google Wallet.
Google Pay is now best understood as a feature of Google Wallet rather than a separate product. It works mainly on Android phones, but Google Wallet can also be accessed through its website, letting users pay online across different devices. Samsung phone owners can install both Google Wallet and Samsung's own wallet and use either for NFC payments, while Pixel and Motorola users will generally rely on Google's system.