Google has today announced the launch of its contactless smartphone payment system Android Pay in Australia, providing a new way to pay for just about anything without needing to grab your wallet."We truly believe that we're at a tipping point in Australia, where we can get mass adoption of mobile payments", Google's senior director of product management Pali Bhat tells Fairfax Media, noting that 60 per cent of Australians already make payments with a contactless card.Mobile payment solutions for phones are already offered by Apple, Samsung and some individual banks, but Google believes Android Pay differentiates itself with its ease of use.Because the system is baked directly into Android, there's no need to open a special app every time you want to pay. After you've downloaded the Android Pay app and added your details, unlocking your phone is all you need to do to allow it to function as if it were your card.This also means you don't need to remember a PIN, create a strong password or do anything new to authenticate the transaction, as the phone's ability to make payments is secured by the number, pattern or fingerprint you already use.Retailers won't have to specifically opt in to Android Pay, as you can wave your unlocked phone over any existing contactless terminal to make a purchase."If you [usually] walk into a Coles and you tap with your supported card, then you can just tap and pay with Android Pay and it works", Bhat says.At launch, a 'supported' card means one with contactless payment functionality, issued by one of the  
participating banks which include ANZ, American Express and Macquarie. Only banks using cards powered by Visa or American Express are currently on the list, with more banks ??? plus MasterCard and EFTPOS capabilities ??? coming soon.Android Pay will also be appearing soon in some apps that you use to make purchases. Rather than logging in to your PayPal account or entering your credit card number, a payment can be made by simply hitting the Android Pay icon.Apps that are already on board to implement the feature include Dominos, Deliveroo, Catch of the Day, Menulog and Kogan. Bhat says any app is free to offer Android Pay functionality. He expects it to become a popular option because, since Pay is already a part of Android, app developers can implement it with "literally 10 lines of code".Of course Android Pay makes use of industry standard tokenisation, so the merchant or app-maker never has access to your card number.  Mobile payment systems like Apple Pay have struggled to take hold in Australia, not just because users are unsure how they work but because of the limited support given by banks. This is an issue that Android Pay may also face, with ANZ the only one of the "big four" banks currently on board. With more banks and cards planned to be added "all the time", Bhat is confident users will find Android Pay easier, more secure and more flexible than their plastic cards."Choice is architected throughout our solution", he says. "We aren't asking you to set up an additional lock or an additional PIN that you have to remember. Nothing special to do. Just tap, pay and you're done. Or go within your favourite app and hit the Android Pay button, and you're done".In terms of phone compatibility, Android Pay works on any Android device that has an NFC chip, provided it is running Android version 4.4 Kit Kat (released in 2013) or later. Full list of participating banks at launch:ANZAmexMacquarieBank AustraliaCAPE Credit Union LimitedCentral West Credit Union LimitedCommunity First Credit UnionEECU LimitedFirst Option Credit UnionGoulburn Murray Credit Union Co-Op LimitedHoliday Coast Credit Union LtdHorizon Credit Union LtdIntech Credit Union LimitedLaboratories Credit Union LimitedMystate Bank LimitedThe RockNorthern Inland Credit Union LimitedQT Mutual Bank LimitedQueenslanders Credit Union LimitedSouth West Slopes Credit Union LtdTeachers Mutual Bank LimitedThe MacWAW Credit Union Co-Operative LimitedWoolworths Employees' Credit Union LimitedWyong Shire Credit Union LimitedBank Of SydneySydney Credit Union LtdBeyond Bank AustraliaFollow Digital Life on Twitter