FAQ: What is Google Smart Tap

Google Smart Tap

Google Smart Tap technology is concerned with storing and using digital passes in your Google Wallet. In the same way that Google Pay replaces bank cards when making contactless payments, Google Wallet will store NFC enabled digital passes, which replace physical loyalty cards, event tickets, club membership numbers, QR-codes and other IDs used for non-banking applications.

NFC passes in Google Wallet can only be used with readers that support the Google Smart Tap protocol.

Smart Tap reader compatibility

Standard NFC tag readers cannot read Google Smart Tap NFC passes. Google certified NFC Pass readers are required – these not only include all of the features necessary for automatic pass selection and decryption, but also for configuration to operate with the merchant’s own passes.

Android ‘Tap-and-Go’ reader

VTAP readers auto-detect the relevant NFC pass from the Google Wallet – streamlining interactions for users, and dramatically improving through-put for venue managers.

Ticket entry is many times faster with NFC wallet passes, compared to QR-codes – which always have to be manually selected from the wallet.

Google Wallet NFC reader security

Smart Tap uses secure encrypted NFC data exchange. Android devices provide cryptographic functions to encrypt shared data.

Unlike QR-codes, NFC wallet passes cannot be easily copied by a screen-grab and then shared

Google Smart Tap readers

The range of VTAP NFC wallet pass readers has been fully certified by Google to work with their Smart Tap protocol.