Thoughts on Tech News of Note - 08-28-2026

• Google/Apple Pay at Walmart
• Meta Settles, But Not for Nothing
• Smart Wearables Take Shapes

Google Pay at Walmart
Once upon a time, I would shop at Walmart and amuse or amaze the cashiers by holding my phone against the credit card reader to pay for my groceries. It was super convenient and honestly delightful to do tap-to-pay long before anyone at Walmart would acknowledge such a thing even existed. I still miss the old Samsung Pay to this day. Walmart has always had weird and convoluted ways to pay if you didn't want to use check, cash, or credit card at the register. But despite shopping there regularly for groceries, I never signed onto Walmart Pay. I wasn't going to create any more accounts or logins just for the privilege of being able to pay in a way that was a little bit more convenient. I chose the usual easy inconvenience instead. And when the pandemic came along, it became even less of an issue because I moved to ordering groceries online for delivery right to my front porch. That had been my primary way to get groceries right up until 2025 when my husband decided he missed going to the grocery store and we again started going together (it's easier to buy junk food in person). We paid the normal way by sliding our cards into the terminals and waiting for it to demand we remove the card immediately. But soon we will have other options because apparently too many other people also thought Walmart Pay was an inconvenient way to try to get to a more convenient way to pay as they are finally opening up their stores to true tap-to-pay with Apple Pay and Google Pay. I'd grown so accustomed to Walmart being this outlier in payment methods that when I first saw the news, I didn't quite believe it. But several sources confirmed it, including Walmart themselves. So, it must be true, and our long payment nightmare is over.

Walmart Pay was always a business strategy. Customer data is priceless (except it does in fact cost money) and by having their own system that could collect shopping data and maintain more control over the checkout experience, Walmart found it advantageous to keep the big players out of the loop. But over time, as tap-to-pay has grown more popular and more widely accepted, Walmart just started to look like a company stuck in the mud. Walmart indicates that customer demand is part of the reason for the change, but if Walmart Pay was really... paying off, then they'd probably stick out the exclusivity for longer. The math has come to the place where the friction of not having mainstream payment options outweighs the benefits of being able to keep a portion of valuable customer data to themselves. It may also be that the introduction of the Walmart+ program has allowed them to gather information on customer purchases and buying habits in a way that Walmart Pay alone never did. In any case, soon you will be able to once again hold your card against the credit card terminal and make a payment. But it won't be like magic anymore.

Meta Settles, But Not for Nothing
Even as the trial was slated to continue, an announcement came out this week that Meta was settling its lawsuit that 47 states (and 4 US jurisdictions) had brought against it for $18B. The $18B is to be paid out over 10 years and dispersed to the states based on population. Meta agrees to make several changes to its apps for users under 18, including the following:

1. Establish a 2-hour daily app usage limit, which can be overridden by parents
2. Block app usage from midnight to 6:00 AM, which can also be overridden by parents
3. Suppress app notifications during school hours
4. Remove reaction counts on minor accounts and allow chronological feed options
5. Implement stronger content controls aimed at reducing bullying and exposure to harmful content

Meta has promised a guaranteed payout of 70% of the $18B, but the remaining 30% will be paid only if its competitors Snapchat*, YouTube, and TikTok adopt the same changes to their apps and pay the same $5B amount to the states. This is perhaps the most interesting part of the settlement. It is a bit more complicated than it seems on the surface. I had Perplexity create a table for me to lay out the pieces more clearly.

Essentially, the remaining $5B is broken into two ~$2.5B chunks and each chunk is paid out only if the company associated with that chunk pays. *This seems to leave a hole for Snapchat that isn't explained clearly, but based on the available documentation and commentary, it does not appear that there is a contingent payment associated with Snapchat adhering to the same requirements and payout. This may have been a carve-out due to its smaller size and market share or more importantly, its ability to pay, but this is just my speculation.

Certainly, making changes like these should have some benefits for kids, but it all depends on the implementation strategy. Kids have shown themselves very resourceful when it comes to navigating restrictions on their use of anything they want to use, but a lot of attention will be on Meta and the other companies if they agree to update their apps to be in compliance with this agreement. They will want to do their best to avoid any further scrutiny and penalties, so making the effective changes seems in their best interest from that perspective, even if it ultimately harms from a business perspective. The balance will be key. These platforms need kids; they are their busiest and best customers. Some [self] harm to avoid invoking more [public] harm seems like a reasonable trade-off. It seems plausible that YouTube and TikTok will sign onto these ideals, but we should watch for how they communicate (i.e. market) what changes they make and if they aim to set themselves apart in any meaningful way from Meta, a brand that probably both believe is beneath them.

Smart Wearables Take Shapes
I am blessed that my parents are aging reasonably well and are still independent, but I do think a lot about caregivers as I have so many in my circle. I bought my parents an Amazon Echo during the pandemic so we could communicate via video call when it wasn't possible for me to travel to see them in person. I bought them a second screenless Echo for their bathroom so that if they were to have any kind of mishap, they could still call for help even if their phones and watches weren't near them. They're both diligent about getting regular exercise and wear Apple watches to stay informed and connected. And there are many additional products and services that are available to try to make life a little bit easier for caregivers and the people who need care. But the former founders of Fitbit decided to start yet another new company to introduce yet another wearable that tracks health and other bits of information. Yet this one is somehow a little bit different than the others. Luffu is a screenless wristband that is designed to look somewhat fancy for daily inconspicuous wear. It tracks health data such as steps, heart rate, and heart rate variability. It also has LTE connectivity so it can send emergency messages and offer location sharing. But it also offers a voice notes feature to allow the user to log whatever they deem necessary, whether it be food that was eaten, activities completed, reminders to surface later, etc. The built-in GPS keeps track of the wearer's location and alerts can be sent to inform family members that a loved one has left their home base. The system is designed to connect entire families; reminders and messages can be sent among family members and data can be shared across the entire family. The Luffu website isn't as chock full of detail as I would like, but it offers snapshots of what it might be like to use. It looks interesting and could be useful for extended families with members that need extra care and attention. You can pre-order the band for $249 and it is expected to ship in "early" 2027. The band will require a Luffu Family subscription plan. There is a standard plan for up to 4 family members that will cost $19.99 per month and there is an extended plan that will cover up to 8 members for $29.99 per month. The band is stated to have 5 days of battery life with LTE and GPS enabled. It is water resistant up to 50 meters, but it is not recommended for wear in the bath or shower due to potential damage from soaps and chemicals. The Luffu app is compatible with both Android and iOS. For now, the device is supported only in the United States and there are no hints of a wider rollout at this time.

It's the kind of wearable that seems to need to exist and hopefully it performs well. It's also the kind of wearable you don't ever really want to have to need but are glad it exists when you do.

On a different note, Plaud is introducing earphones. If you've watched my YouTube videos or read my reviews on voice recorders, you'll know I'm a paying Plaud subscriber and satisfied customer. It's my favorite voice recorder and I've used several. I liked the idea of a product like Anker/Soundcore's latest Liberty Pro series with recording capabilities in the earphone case, but after having used Soundcore Work, I didn't expect those earphones to perform much better than that dedicated recording device. But sometimes having two things in one can be handy, so Plaud is trying out the concept. The earphones and case can both record and Plaud's AI can connect to your Google data and provide you with more insights than you'd get from other similar audio products. The Plaud agent will learn about you over time and hopefully become more helpful as it learns. And like the Luffu, Plaud is using 4G connectivity as a differentiator. The case has eSIM capability and for an extra subscription fee, can allow for cloud processing over 4G rather than relying on the phone's connection or Wi-Fi. Plans are said to start at $8.33 per month for transcription (no pricing on 4G connectivity yet) and the device is available for pre-order at $249, but Plaud says only 2,000 units will be available worldwide, so move fast if this intrigues you.

Voice transcription and summarization is a hot sector of the AI industry right now. We should expect to see many more devices that offer similar features in old and new form factors over the next couple of years. Smart jewelry and audio gear like headphones and earphones will likely continue to dominate, but we may see some designs that surprise and hopefully, delight.