Report: Android y may use gamification to encourage you to tap pay

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Published 21 Nov 2016

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Disclosure

may have an unusual trick up its sleeve when it comes to encouraging you to try out Android y.

A series of code strings in an A teardown of Android y 1.10 reveal some type of game with prizes on the line. The first clue is a series of references to coins. There are even a few details about winning a prize:

You can also find out if you won a prize later. ’ll send you a notification to remind you or you can go to the Shop. Tap. Reward. card in your Android y app.

The teardown also uncovered a reference to “opt out of the game” a social component to “tell your friends.” 

The most unusual piece of code is, “A network connection is needed to open the cracker.” Android lice jokingly speculates it could be some type of holiday promotion for The Nutcracker, but there’s nothing else to really go on here. The language could also be some type of placeholder until the feature is more flushed out ready to go.

If nothing else, it indicates that feels it needs to give a stronger nudge to Android y, which may soon be coming to your watch. If you want to dive into the latest Android y update yourself, you can grab it from A Mirror.

y this matters: Android y hasn’t exactly changed mass buying behavior. I still get a weird look from clerks when paying with my phone, which is anecdotal evidence that mobile payment still isn’t the norm. Turning to some type of contest or game may be a way to inspire more usage, but we’ll have to see exactly what comes up with before deciding if it’s to be a successful effort.