Google Wallet update adds receipt scanning and three other features

The update also improves merchant names in transaction notifications. Google has not specified how the names are improved, TechRadar said, but the change is presumably intended to make it clearer who or what a user has sent money to.

A new in-app message center is included in Google Wallet. TechRadar reported that it is not clear what kinds of messages users might receive, though the center could inform them about service updates such as the changes in this release.

For people who use Google Pay through Chrome for Android, the update allows them to skip the Payment Request UI when they provide merchants with their name, email address and phone number. TechRadar said this presumably makes the payment process faster and smoother.

Individually, the upgrades are not large, but together they should make a notable difference to the Google Pay experience, according to the report. The update will roll out automatically, so users who do not see the changes yet are likely to receive them soon.

Users can check which version of Google Play Services they have by going to Settings, then Apps, then Google Play Services, where the version number appears at the bottom of the screen, TechRadar reported.