Latest Android operating system doesn’t allow for credit card payments

When Google's Android OS 2.3 was announced it was reported that the platform would allow consumers to load their debit or credit information onto a phone so they could use them as a digital wallet. But the system only allows enabled phones to receive near-field communication signals, not send them, according to smartphone news site Android Police. This means that consumers will not be able to take on credit card debt with a swipe of their phone when making a purchase.

The first device optimized for OS 2.3, nicknamed Gingerbread, the Nexus S, was demonstrated to have NFC capabilities, but could not be made to send data, the report said. Consumers will have to wait at least until the next OS to take on credit card debt with their smartphone.

Many lenders and smartphone manufacturers have worked together in recent months to test system that let consumers take on credit card debt with their smartphones, but none are widely available yet.