Google has recently begun to require device unlocks for individual tap-to-pay transactions, a behavior that had been previously observed on smartphones. However, on Wear OS smartwatches this had been traditionally bypassed as long as your watch was already unlocked. When this changed and Wallet users using their watches began to be prompted for pin verification, they were reasonably surprised.
However, while this change could be a slight annoyance for users who were accustomed to the simpler process, it might also indicate that Google is working on improving the security of Wear OS payments. After all, smartphones using Google Wallet already require users to verify their identity with a PIN or fingerprint scan after a period of inactivity. So, it’s possible that Google is planning to implement a similar security measure for Wear OS devices.
As of now, Google hasn’t officially confirmed whether a PIN requirement is being rolled out for Wear OS payments. As a matter of fact, as noted by Android Authority, Google’s support page on this doesn’t specifically call out Wear OS, and instead uses the more generic term “device” in its instructions for making payments with Google Wallet.
Because of this, it’s important to take these reports with a grain of salt, as this could very well end up being a bug. Hopefully, if this change does become official, we will hear more about it directly from Google, either via a blog post or an update to the support documentation.