Google Wallet Coming To Glass To Enable “Send Money” Via Voice Command

According to a source who spoke with TechCrunch, Google Wallet is coming to Google Glass. The idea is to enable users to send money to friends, family and others through Glass-based voice commands.

Last year at the Google developer conference, I/O, the company introduced the ability to send money through Gmail. It’s a simple, almost frictionless process. Square also offers a similar way (“Square Cash”) to send money to friends/family.

It’s not clear how many people are taking advantage of the send money feature in Gmail. Google hasn’t shared any data to my knowledge; and since I never hear about it I would guess the numbers are fairly low.

Devotees of Glass may appreciate the new capability. However Glass itself continues its bumpy rollout to a broader audience.

Google’s recent public sale of Glass apparently went well. But mainstream consumer interest in Glass remains very mixed or limited.

In March Google announced a partnership with Luxottica, which owns the Ray-Ban and Oakley brands. Those two brands will reportedly introduce Glass editions, offering hope for an expanded array of design choices and more mainstream appeal.

A recent tear-down analysis of Glass argued that its component parts cost less than $100, which created head-scratching over its more than $1,500 price tag. However Google has said that the “Glass Explorer Edition costs significantly more to produce.”

Google Wallet is Google’s stored credit card function. It’s NFC-based in-store payments capability has struggled and is little used today (though it may gain new life later on). Wallet also powers mobile ecommerce and Google Play, where it has been much more successful.