Google has begun the testing phase for its new Hands Free app that lets you pay at participating locations without having to even take your phone out of your pocket.
Right now, the only participating locations are in South Bay, south of San Francisco, CA, where Google is headquartered. The app is already available to everyone though—for Android and iOS—even if you're 2,500 miles away from the closest Hands Free location, like me.
You can request Hands Free in your area, and Google will notify you when it arrives.
Hands Free works a lot like Android Pay, but instead of tapping your phone to pay, you'll just have to say "I'll pay with Google," to the cashier.
Thus prompted, the cashier will ask you to confirm your initials, and will verify your identity through a profile picture that you add to Hands Free during setup (seen below). Once completed, transaction details will be sent to your phone.
Right now it looks like you have to select one card in your Google Wallet to use to pay. You can switch it in the settings menu, but it looks like whichever one you have selected will be the one that's charged when you complete a transaction.
Hands Free is working almost exclusively at restaurants at the moment, with McDonald's and Papa John's as the most recognizable partners. So, if you're in the South Bay area, give Hands Free a try and let us know about it in the comments.
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