Why is Verizon the only carrier not allowing Samsung Pay?

[fezzik]

Why are you still evaluating it when every other US carrier had approved it during ALPHA trials?

In fact why does Verizon have feature review over Android devices when Apple can release whatever they want whenever they feel like it?  Why is Verizon the slowest to review and approve devices and features? 

[zellerandy]

THey have the largest customer base.  If there is something wrong with how it works with the network, or just in general, its cost millions for the support teams,  all the call ins, all the customer complaints.   We have survived without it for many years, waiting another year wont kill anyone, however avoiding problems keeps our bills lower.

[rcschnoor]

fezzik wrote:

In fact why does Verizon have feature review over Android devices when Apple can release whatever they want whenever they feel like it? 

Because no android manufacturer is willing to chance that Verizon will simply not sell their device. Verizon has passed on android devices in the past. Possibly it was because the manufacturer was unwilling to meet Verizon's demands, I certainly don't know. Verizon is not willing to chance not being able to sell iPhones and therefore will allow what Apple says will be on the phone. On another note, since Apple is the ONLY manufacturer of iPhones, software on an iPhone should act the same on all iPhones. Since manufacturers of different android devices choose to put their own user interface on android devices they manufacture, they will not necessarily behave as an android device from another manufacturer. This can sometimes be a negative with android and can sometimes be a positive with android as innovation quite often shows up on android devices before other devices.

Verizon played this game of chicken with Apple in the past when they chose not to be the exclusive provider with the iPhone on their network. Verizon paid that price by being unable to sell iPhones for the 1st 3 years they were in existence. It appears they are unwilling to play that game of chicken again.

[fezzik]

I don't know what you are looking at, keeping our bills low?  Verizon is the most expensive carrier.  If you think AT&T being the next largest carrier is willing to sacrifice business just to accept anything you are wrong and yet.... If I could convince my wife this would be my third time to leave.  I am already equally as fed up as the last time.  For the last year I had a tablet.  The other versions of that tablet received the update but after more than 9 months from the release of that update my Verizon version still had not received it.  No reasoning given.  Now a feature that was the only reason I didn't switch to iPhone (mainly because it removes carrier approval from the process) I find out that Big Brother Verizon is "evaluating" it which traditionally means we are going to put it in a limbo until we feel like there is no way we can block it. 

What really bothers me is that Verizon was a few years ago pushing themselves as "the most open carrier" any compatible device, any app etc.  However, even while they were saying that they were blocking Google Wallet, and several other systems that competed with a half baked Carrier developed product that wasn't going to be rolled out for another couple of years. 

Nah it isn't altruism.  They aren't trying to keep the users' experience as seamless as possible.  It is because they are the biggest carrier and they can. 

[fezzik]

I disagree.  Verizon would not risk not selling a major Samsung phone.  Samsung may have fallen back below Apple in overall Phone sales in the US but not far enough to be ignorable.  I am a bit surprised that they have been able to keep the main selling point of this device. 

I have no doubt it will be approved.  I just want to know why it takes 6 months longer for Verizon to "evaluate" new features, updates, and software that other carriers approve in less than 6 weeks. 

[#6]

Please see our official Samsung Pay discussion:

Re: Official Samsung Pay Thread

Thank you,

-Joe