NFC Wallet app for virtual cards

ekasprzak

MetropleX Yes, Curve requires installing HMS Core when you open the app, so I installed it right away (and did all the mentioned multiple tests, phone reboots just in case etc after installing it).

I searched the forum and saw people mentioning that it (Curve Pay) might work, but didn't find any post when someone said that was able to enable and actually use it.

mgeo

ekasprzak this message! i actually have a phone, but i'm testing the apk on huawei watch 4 and the last version, runs but cannot activate curve pay on the watch, it just stuck in the loading screen of the activation. I don't know whether you have somewhere that apk file you mentioned you install back in March

ekasprzak

Just be fully certain - I created an account with Huawei, signed into HMS Core/App Gallery, accepted everything they wanted (to be sure that it's not some permission that makes Curve Pay to fail), restarted the phone and still no luck, nothing changed.

So it seems like currently there is literally no wallet kind of app that works on GOS (I don't mean specific banks - I mean wallet, where you can add any Visa/MasterCard you want and use it directly via NFC payment).

MetropleX

ekasprzak so under the account tab does Curve Pay or Google not show up at all underneath the card image?

ekasprzak

MetropleX It does, I explained it above, to be more precise - when I click "Enable Curve Pay", it just shows a blank page with a small circle that just goes round and round endlessly like it's waiting for something that never happens (same if I do that from Settings --> Curve Pay").
Tried that many times during various days and hours (so I don't think its some kind of temporary service unavailability), leaving the screen active for 10+ minutes.

I also contacted curve support (which btw has worsened in recent months a lot - after first reply in _24h, every next reply for any question is 7+ days(!), at least in my last 2 cases) and so far, they have no idea what could be the problem.

And I just tried that on my aonther Android phone (Xperia with stock Android) - it just worked, no issues.

I think there is some kind of security check from Curve/HMS when attempting to enable Curve Pay and with GOS it just encounters something unexpected so it endlessly tries and retries without any timeout or error message.

mgeo

ekasprzak hey, what do you mean "And I just tried that on my aonther Android phone (Xperia with stock Android) - it just worked, no issues."

what model it was and what stock android?

reto

keatonhj it would be nice to have a generic open source app that's able to store any card. But the fact that not all cards work with Google pay and Samsung pay indicates the card issuer needs to enable this.

intelligence

reto The sickening part is that all the pieces are already in place. Your credit card company can write a program to install on your phone able to make NFC payments, and WITHOUT going through {whatever}pay service. There is NO NEED for any wacky kind of "wallet" software. All that "wallet" software does, is manage cards that are activated through {whatever}pay.

Enas

intelligence up until the May 2023 update of my banking app i could use the native NFC payment of the app itself (from within the app or by single clicking the widget icon on your home screen) flawlessly and worked seemlesly since it was first introduced 6-7 years ago. Since the May update I lost NFC capability of the app again within the app and there was no widget at all. I went on and read the apps update log and surely enough the change to google pay was introduced at that update that made the previous fully working capability of the app itself stopped working - inexisting. After weeks of emailing back and forth with the technical team of the bank their answer was: "we did cause of convenience and better support, plus we don't have to maintain another service by ourselves. We outsourced that to google!" Now at that point was furious and willing to change banks just to a bank that is not so gullible. But immediately found out that most all of the do the same or are planning to do so in the near future. So instead what I did was deleted the app, reinstalled the pro May update version and blacklisted any future updates to the app. I have it working again with no issues till now (almost 6mo). I just took all the necessary safety precautions (with 2sv and everything) so I can keep using that service.

ekasprzak

Hi Guys,

After almost 3 months I finally received a very specified answer from Curve:

It is not possible to use Curve Pay on Google Pixel phones, even if the app have been downloaded from the Huawei App Gallery rather than the Google Play Store.

Why it took 3 months and why "it is not possible? That Curve didnt answer and I dont have a patience to wait next 3 months to get some answers, but at least we have a definitive, official reply.

But, things took an unexpected turn - I think the same day I got the answer, there was a GOS update available and Google Pay itself.
And right now, using GOS 20230315 on my Pixel 6a and most recent Google Pay available in Google Play - I was able to add a card to Google Pay and tested it yesterday - it works, I can pay via NFC using GPay on GOS!

Please, check if I'm just weirdly lucky or some things regarding those certification from google etc have actually changed and maybe it also works on your Pixels now?

matchboxbananasynergy

ekasprzak I've seen other reports recently of it working. i don't want to get your hopes up, however, as this has been the case before and it's been reverted. This is highly unlikely to last long.

goslife

ekasprzak is it still working for you?

Chrochtadlo

I tried it, it doesn't work.

mgeo

Chrochtadlo do you have the apk file? can u send it?

matchboxbananasynergy

goslife It likely isn't. there was a small window of time in which Google changed something that made this possible, but as far as I know that has been reverted.

Edit: typo

ekasprzak

goslife
Seems like what @matchboxbananasynergy says is true.

In my case I THINK it stopped working after one of the March GOS upgrades, but because of what matchboxbananasynergy wrote above I'm almost sure it was either a coincidence or maybe I just noticed that after upgrade (and it maybe it did not actually work before that, which I didn't check before).

So yeah, I'm back to taking again my wallet always with me, it's also sad that Curve (which could fill that gap perfectly and they definitely have working technology for that already) focused on Huawei alternative only.

Jbowm21

Anyone try this app?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cardsapp.android

I've gotten it installed and everything this far, failed on the first try and haven't had a chance to troubleshoot it but it may be promising. No idea on its security so I never gave it networking personally, as of now who knows maybe it's no good but just maybe... Any chance GrapheneOS could have a native tap and pay app eventually?

katemason

chaps, don't worry I still get cash out to pay.
I am actually surprised that people who choose to use GrapheneOS desperately search for contactless payment option....

user74838

Is there a way to program another device to serve as the wallet that could be inconspicuous? An NFC chip sticker or something?

mgeo

ekasprzak Hey! Do you still have that old curve apk from Huawei App Gallery? Can you send it to me?

ekasprzak

mgeo Hi, not sure what kind of version you're talking about, my whole story was: paying via curve doesn't work if you don't have a Huawei phone (confirmed by Curve support).