Hands Free, the Google app that let you pay with your voice, goes quiet

Google's Hands Free app is coming to an end, with the experimental mobile payment method shutting down February 8.

Announced last year, Hands Free allowed customers to check out at stores using a voice-activated app that transmitted payment via Bluetooth. 

This allowed users to make purchases without rifling through a bag for a wallet or pulling out a phone to use the likes of Apple Pay or Samsung Pay, hence the name 'Hands Free.'

The app tested exclusively in San Francisco at select businesses, and did not expand out to a public release. Stores that participated in the pilot will longer accept payments from Hands Free following the app's closure next week.

All is not lost for fans of the unencumbered payment program, as Google says it's now focusing on "bringing the best of the Hands Free technology to a wider audience," leading us to believe some features might make a comeback - most likely as part of Google's existing Android Pay service. 

Hands Free is not the only one exiting the market lately, with mobile payment service Coin announcing its closure earlier this week following its recent acquisition by wearable company Fitbit.

• 7 things small businesses should know about mobile payments

from TechRadar: Phone and communications news http://www.techradar.com/news/hands-free-the-google-app-that-let-you-pay-with-your-voice-goes-quiet