However, I believe Square and PayPal probably won't lose much sleep over Google's latest efforts. Let's take a look back at Google Pay's evolution, why it's attracting more attention now, and why it probably still can't hurt Square or PayPal. Image source: Getty Images. Tracking Google Pay's growth Google Pay started out as Android Pay, a basic replacement for credit cards, in 2015. But in 2018, Google merged Android Pay with its mobile wallet, Google Wallet, to create Google Pay -- which also offered deeper integration with third-party apps and websites. The latest redesign adds new personal finance tools, which let users link the app to their bank accounts, track their spending habits, search through past transactions, apply online discounts to purchases, and more. It also broadened its support for contactless payments at gas stations, and added integrated payments for parking fees in select cities.