Samsung Pay appears on US Gear S2 smartwatch as a public beta
Some of use have been using Samsung Pay for almost a year and now we finally see it launch on the Gear S2 smartwatch as a public beta.
According to the folks at Droid Life those with a Bluetooth-only, non-3G, Gear S2 should see a Samsung Gear app update available that includes Samsung Pay beta. There is a Samsung Pay Gear S2 Beta app that you need to download and install from the Galaxy Apps store after performing the software update.
The Gear S2 does not have the internal components to accept MST transactions so you will be limited to NFC terminals. One of the benefits of Samsung Pay is its ability to use it at nearly all terminals in the US where you can use your credit card. Samsung Pay Beta for the Gear S2 is currently only supported in the US.
The Samsung Gear S2 smartwatches available from your carrier, like my T-Mobile unit, do not currently support Samsung Pay. These 3G models work independentaly of a smartphone thanks to an internal cellular wireless radio. There is no information yet on when these 3G models may get Samsung Pay support.
It seems that support for Gear S2 3G models is more important as that will allow you to leave the phone behind and make purchases, as well as communicate with people, with just your smartwatch.
Further ZDNet Samsung Pay coverage
- Using Samsung Pay in the USA: Magnetic secure transmission removes merchant barriers
- Samsung Pay launched in US: Accepted at more locations than Apple Pay and Android Pay
- Samsung Pay supports all US retail membership and loyalty cards
- Gear S2 3G review: Samsung's best smartwatch offers more than the Apple Watch