Google testing hands-free payments in Silicon Valley
Google is testing a new hands-free payment method which only requires a moment's conversation to allow users to pay for goods. The system first utilises sensors in a user's smartphone to detect when he or she is in a particular store. When shoppers are ready to pay, they head to the cash register and say "I'll pay with Google". Cashiers then ask for consumers' initials and consult a picture uploaded to Google's payment account to verify their identities. The technology is currently being tested in limited numbers in the Silicon Valley area. 

Google has announced that it's testing a payment program called "Hands Free" that lets users pay for goods without having to reach into their pockets.

The idea behind the program is that anyone can walk in to a store, find what they want and head to the register, requiring only their face and a moment's conversation to purchase something.

Woolworths customers have been advised to check their bank statements after the retailer charged hundreds of customers twice because of a payments processing glitch. Credit: Michele Mossop

Hands Free is in a limited pilot program at select stores in the Silicon Valley area. Google said that it uses a variety of sensors in a users' smartphone, including Bluetooth and WiFi, to detect when shoppers are in a particular store. When at the cash register, the users simply have to say, "I'll pay with Google" and give their initials to the cashier. The store employee checks the initials and a picture that users have uploaded to their payment accounts to verify that they are who they claim to be.

According to the company's website, stores never get access to consumers' full credit card information. Users also get a notification when their Hands Free account has been used, as a fraud-prevention measure.