First, there was Samsung Wallet. Then it became Samsung Pay. Now, because time is a flat circle, Samsung is bringing the Wallet app back — basically, bringing a lot of existing Samsung services into one app. And this time, there’s crypto!
The new Samsung Wallet is available today, and it will take the place of the current Pay and Pass apps, which currently handle payment cards and passwords, respectively. It also integrates with SmartThings to store certain digital home and car keys.
And, of course, the new Samsung Wallet integrates with the existing Samsung Blockchain Wallet app, so you can easily check the value of your cryptocurrency portfolio. Or maybe don’t. Samsung also plans to add some features it teased at its Unpacked event earlier this year, including the ability to store your digital IDs and driver’s license.
Samsung’s digital key feature had been previously available in Samsung Pass for one car: the Genesis GV60. Now, the company is expanding compatibility to include the Genesis G90 and Hyundai Palisade, as well as certain BMW models launched after July 2020. The new Wallet is also compatible with nine smart home security companies via SmartThings, so digital house keys can be used. There are other, more pedestrian features, like the ability to store airline boarding passes — though that’s currently limited to Korean Air flights.
Samsung Wallet is available today in the US, UK, and parts of Europe for Galaxy phones, with Samsung Pay running Android 9 or later. Not all features will be available with all phones, though — some digital car keys require UWB short-range connectivity, and some require a phone with Samsung’s eSE security hardware.
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