Google Wallet FAQs

Yes. Both wallets can be installed simultaneously, but only one can be set as your default for automatic tap-to-pay. You can change your preferred default at any time in your device's NFC settings, or manually open either app to pay.

The Wallet account used for provisioning must correspond to the account on the phone that will hold the credential. Google provisioning should use the Google Account associated with Google Wallet on the target Android phone.

If you change that platform account after the Fordham credential has already been provisioned, do not remove/re-add the credential or start enrollment on another phone just to test it. Contact IT Support so the existing credential/device binding can be reviewed. The exact Fordham re-provisioning workflow after an Apple/Google account change still needs final technical confirmation.

The Google authorization/provisioning handoff did not complete successfully. Do not repeatedly retry or begin enrollment on a second device.

Return to ID Management, open one fresh browser session, and try the enrollment flow once. Make sure you are using the same Google Account associated with Google Wallet on the Android phone receiving the credential. If the error repeats, capture the exact message and time and contact IT Support.

Hold the back of the Android phone close to the reader until it responds.

NFC antenna placement varies by device, so if the reader does not respond, slowly adjust the position of the back of the phone (for example, slightly higher or lower) and hold it steady for a few seconds. You do not need to repeatedly tap the reader. NFC must be turned on.

Google's current Student ID guidance says you normally do not need to wake or unlock the phone to present a Student ID at a supported reader. Hold the phone to the reader until the transaction is recognized/you see the confirmation on the phone.

Google also provides an optional security setting called Require device unlock for use. If you enable that option for the Student ID—or require device unlock for NFC in Android settings—you will need to unlock the phone before using the credential. NFC must be available and turned on for contactless Student ID use.

If the credential does not respond at a reader, first confirm NFC is on and try holding the back of the phone close to the reader for a few seconds before escalating.

Google Wallet Student ID requires NFC for contactless campus-reader use.

1. Open Settings on your Android phone.
2. Search for NFC, or go to Connected devices > Connection preferences > NFC (menu names can vary by phone manufacturer/Android version).
3. Turn NFC ON.
4. Return to the reader and hold the back of the phone close to it for a few seconds.

If searching Settings does not show an NFC option, the phone may not support NFC and therefore cannot use the contactless Student ID feature. If NFC is on but the Fordham credential still does not work, report the phone make/model, Android version, exact location/reader, date/time, and what happened.

Do not rely on Google Wallet Student ID after the Android phone has fully lost power. Google's current Student ID guidance requires an Android phone with NFC and describes presenting the phone to the reader; unlike Apple's published Student ID/Express Mode guidance, Google does not document an equivalent Student ID Power Reserve feature for a fully depleted Android phone.

Charge the phone before relying on the credential. If the phone is unavailable and you need immediate campus access, follow the applicable campus/support process.

Do not assume the Fordham ID in Wallet will automatically appear from a phone backup. The credential is device-bound and Fordham currently supports one active mobile device at a time.

Google's Student ID guidance says to remove the Student ID from the current phone and then add it on the new phone. Fordham's support process may also require the prior credential/device state to be cleared or revoked before re-enrollment. If the old phone is unavailable, or the new phone cannot enroll, contact IT Support before making repeated attempts.

Do not assume the campus credential will restore through iCloud, Google backup, or a general phone-migration tool.

Google specifically states that Student IDs do not automatically appear on a new device. Google recommends removing the Student ID from the old phone and then setting it up again on the new phone. Fordham also enforces a one-active-device process, so contact IT Support before changing phones if the existing credential cannot be cleanly removed or the old device is unavailable.

Treat a factory reset or an unusable/damaged phone as a device-recovery scenario. Do not assume the Fordham credential can be restored from iCloud/Google backup or that the old credential state has automatically cleared.

If you can no longer access the previous credential, contact IT Support so the existing device/credential state can be reviewed and the approved re-enrollment process can be followed. Provide the old and new phone model if applicable and explain whether the old device can still be accessed.

Act immediately.

Google's Student ID guidance says to remove the Student ID through your school account if the phone is lost or stolen, then re-enable it after the device is recovered or replaced. Contact Fordham IT Support for the Fordham credential process.

If the phone is damaged and cannot turn on, contact IT Support from another device. Do not begin enrollment on a second phone until the old credential state has been reviewed.

Do not immediately start enrollment again or add the credential to another phone. First check View My ID Status and capture a screenshot of the current Wallet/status screen.

Contact IT Support so the existing credential state can be reviewed and the correct re-enrollment process can be followed. Repeated enrollment attempts can create a stuck or duplicate-device state.