Updated 15 March 2022: A Google spokesperson confirmed that the company fixed the issue that prevented users from using contactless payments on their devices.

“We are aware that some Pixel users had been experiencing an issue where they were unable to make contactless payments using Google Pay following a recent update. This issue has now been fixed and all users should be able to continue using Google Pay to tap and pay wherever contactless payments are accepted.”

Google recently announced the new Android 12L software update, including several new features that improve large-screen devices to take better advantage of bigger displays. Alongside the new Android 12L release, Google also rolled out the new March security update and Pixel Feature Drop, which included new features. After the update, many people on older Pixel devices raised concerns over their Pixel smartphones no longer being certified and losing access to contactless (NFC) transactions with Google Pay.

The latest reports claim that the issue doesn’t happen instantly, and it could take as long as a full day for Pixel devices to become uncertified and no longer accept contactless payments. When a device is uncertified, it will show a notification saying that “Your phone doesn’t meet software standards”, and users will be able to see their certification status in the Google Play Store settings (via 9to5Google).

To see your status, you can go to:

  • Open Google Play Store
  • Tap on your account avatar on the top-right corner
  • Tap on Settings
  • Tap on About and see if your device is certified on the bottom

“You can’t pay contactless with this device. It may be rooted, or running uncertified software. Contact your device manufacturer or visit Google Pay Help for more info.

You can still use Google Pay to pay online.”

So far, it appears that Google Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, and Pixel 5 owners are affected who recently updated to the official March security patch. It also looks like users who were using a stable software version are affected. Some sites claim that joining the Android Beta Program can solve the issue, but that would mean using Beta software, which could introduce further issues. If you are one of those affected, we would recommend you wait until Google issues a fix.