New functionality added to Google Assistant means people can send money to friends and family via Google Pay using only their voice.

It is now possible to send or request cash from contacts for free using the Assistant on Android and iOS phones in the US, with plans to extend this to voice-activated speakers like Google Home.

Those who haven't already signed up for Google Pay will automatically be prompted to set up an account upon asking Assistant to send money. Funds are transferred “almost instantaneously” even if the recipient doesn’t have a Google Pay account, according to Google Pay product manager Sam Kansara. Friends and family will then receive an email, text message, or notification if they already have the Google Pay app installed.

The move follows similar voice activated payment services set up by rival tech giants. In May last year American Express customers became able to check their account balance, review recent charges and make payments all via voice commands to Amazon’s Alexa, while in August, Barclays was the first UK High Street bank to launch payments using Apple’s virtual assistant Siri, via the Barclays Mobile Banking app.

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