Google Pay issue on Caterpillar S61

[Alanos313]

Hi, I have recently bought a Cat S61 dual SIM phone. I use a VM SIM and a Vodaphone SIM, one for personal calls and one for work. No matter what I do, I can't get Google Pay to work. It registers and verifies the card but won't react when I try to pay contactless. Anyone else had this issue?

 

[Clementine_3]

Not trying to sound snarky, but have you turned NFC on? Also, move the phone all over the scanner, the NFC chip may be at the top/bottom/middle, you just have to find the 'sweet spot'. It took me a few tries 'til I figured out mine is almost all the way at the bottom of the phone (not a Caterpillar).

Welcome to the forums

 

[Alanos313]

Not trying to sound snarky, but have you turned NFC on? Also, move the phone all over the scanner, the NFC chip may be at the top/bottom/middle, you just have to find the 'sweet spot'. It took me a few tries 'til I figured out mine is almost all the way at the bottom of the phone (not a Caterpillar).

Welcome to the forums

Hi, thanks for the reply. I have tried everything, NFC is on, I've done a factory reset, I've contacted my bank, Caterpillar and Google. I actually got it working for 3 days but then it stopped again after I changed one of my SIM cards. I've even had a replacement phone under warranty because of this issue. The new one has the exact same issue. I'm starting to think it has something to do with the dual sim. I was hoping someone else with an S61 would have some advice, but I can't find a specific forum for the model yet...

 

[Clementine_3]

think it has something to do with the dual sim. I was hoping someone else with an S61 would have some advice

I know nothing of dual SIMs but actually wondered if it was part of the issue. Someone more clever than I should be along to help.

 

[Alanos313]

I know nothing of dual SIMs but actually wondered if it was part of the issue. Someone more clever than I should be along to help.

Ok, thanks for your help anyway

 

[bdoona]

Signed up to say - No Google pay for me either.

My differences:
* Only one sim installed.
* It's never worked for me.

I tested that NFC is working by reading cards but found that it was fairly picky with its positioning. I'm going to try again now that I have a better idea of the positioning.

 

[Alanos313]

Signed up to say - No Google pay for me either.

My differences:
* Only one sim installed.
* It's never worked for me.



I tested that NFC is working by reading cards but found that it was fairly picky with its positioning. I'm going to try again now that I have a better idea of the positioning.

Hi, have you contacted caterpillar/Google about the problem? It's definitely not about positioning, I had it working for a couple of days and when it works it's as quick as using a card, anywhere in the top half of the back of the phone is fine. Here is a copy of the email I just sent to caterpillar...



Hi,

I have been having issues with Google Pay on the S61 from the day I purchased the phone. I successfully add my contactless card to Google pay, and it shows as the default card for contactless, however it does not work when held to a terminal. This issue has been ongoing for almost a month. Here is a list of things I have tried.
- I have made sure the phone is awake for the transaction, NFC is on.
- The card is active and set as default for contactless.
- I have contacted the bank and confirmed that the Google pay is set up at their end and active.
- I have contacted Google Pay and confirmed that the account and card are set up correctly and active.
- I have had a replacement handset issued under warranty from Amazon because of this issue. The new handset behaves exactly the same way as the original.
- I have deleted and re-added the card to Google Pay multiple times.
- I have fully reset my Google Pay account.
- I have deleted all Google Play services cache and data.
- I have performed a full factory reset on the handset.
- I have attempted to pay with Google Pay many times after each attempt to add the card. Each time, the card is added successfully but when holding the woken phone to a terminal, it does not react. The terminal does not react either, it simply times out after about 30 seconds.
- I use two SIMs in the phone. I have tried disabling one SIM whilst adding the card. This actually seemed to work on one occasion and I successfully used Google Pay for 3 days. However it stopped working again after I replaced one of the SIMs, and I can't get it to work again despite replicating the same procedure I used to add the card on that one successful occasion.
- I have tried using the email method and also the text message method for validating the card. Both successfully validate in the app, but neither actually make the contactless function work. I have even called the bank and had them manually activate the card for Google pay, they did this successfully but still it does not work.
- I have sent bug reports to Google Pay support, and they are unable to find an issue at their end.
- The handset is fully updated to the latest version of Android, and all apps are updated to the current versions. The phone is not rooted, and has never been rooted or tampered with in any way. I am using a Virgin Mobile SIM in slot 1, and a Vodafone SIM in slot 2. ( I have tried using the SIMs in the alternate slots, no effect).

I conclude that this issue is related to a bug in the handset or its firmware. From my experience I suspect it is related to the dual SIM aspect of the firmware, but this is only a guess based on my own observations. Please investigate this issue and rectify it asap. I would request that you actually attempt to add a card to Google pay on an S61 handset, and then take it out and physically test it on a live terminal. It does not work. It's incredibly frustrating. I have switched from iPhone after 7 years and I must say I am disappointed in the amount of bugs and glitches I have encountered thus far.

My handset details are on the attached screenshots.

Please acknowledge receipt of this email, and update me on your findings asap.

Kind Regards

Alan Worth

 

[bdoona]

The only additional thing that I can add is that I have tried it with the bank's app and it didn't work either.

I figured that it was a software issue and was planning on waiting until the android 9.0 release until investigating further. I've just moved over from a Pixel XL and was annoyed enough that I wasn't able to transfer everything from it since it was already on 9.0 and this is on 8.1.

There is another guy at work who has one as well. I'll ask him if he has set it up and is using it.

 

[Alanos313]

Update.

Received the following reply from Cat support...

Dear Alan,

Thank you for your email,

We are aware of the Google Pay issue. This is something Google and Cat® phones are working on.

We can only apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Once the issue has been resolved they will resolve this through a software update,

Kind Regards
Nicola
Cat® phone support


Pretty vague, really. Unclear whether it will be an android update or a Google pay one. No timeframe either.

 

[bdoona]

I logged a ticket with Cat just after my previous post. They just responded with general questions about the phone, the purchase and what I had tried. I'll post if I learn anything of use.

 

[Unforgiven]

We are aware of the Google Pay issue. This is something Google and Cat® phones are working on.

That's good news (hopefully) and probably not something there will be an answer for you here due to the security around NFC payments blah blah blah. It's obviously an OEM / Google problem, so its up to them to get a resolution. I'm glad they are working on it, let us know if/when they get a resolution for you. I use Google pay almost daily and it is wicked convenient, so I can sympathize with your frustration.

 

[Alanos313]

I emailed back asking for a timeframe on it, and which of Google Pay or Caterpillar would be providing the update... Here is the response...

Dear Alan,

Thank you for your email,

Unfortunately we do not have a time frame at this time.

The software update will either be Google or Cat® phones, All Security updates come from Google directly so there may be two updates.

We are sorry we do not have exact information at this time.

Kind Regards
Nicola

 

[bdoona]

Here is what I got back this morning:

Thank you for sending the requested information.

In answer to your inquiry we would recommend you to follow the next steps:

• Check your device is updated. Go to Settings> About the phone > System updates
• Clean the Google Pay app cache following the following steps: Settings> select the three dots at the right corner > Show system > Apps > Google Pay > Storage > Clean data and cache
• Also go to Settings > Apps > select the three dots at the right corner > "Reset app preferences"
• Activate safe mode and try again to use Google Pay. The safe mode disable all the no preinstalled apps what will allow us to confirm if another app is interfering with the correct functioning of the phone. To access the safe mode press the power key and select the Off option, a message will appear to activate the safe mode. After the test, to disable the mode it is necessary to restart the device.
• If you have not solved the problem with the previous tips, we recommend carrying out a reset: Settings> Backup> Factory data reset. IMPORTANT: Please make sure you have done the back up as you will lose all your information.

Do not hesitate to contact us if the issue continues.
Best regards,

Natalia
Cat® phones support

I forgot to mention that I'd tried the clearing cache/data thing but safe mode is a new one. Now I need to go somewhere, remember to restart my phone in the shop and give it a go.

I'm not Factory resetting at this stage.

 

[bdoona]

Well... I'm a bit annoyed cause it worked in safe mode. Google Pay version is 2.78.221354584.

Gotta figure out what is happening now.

 

[bdoona]

After letting Cat know that it worked on safe mode, I received the expected response: Factory Reset. I'll try and get to it over the weekend.

 

[bdoona]

Update:

• I got stuck in the supermarket without my wallet over the weekend so it turned out to be an excellent time to try safe mode again. I was let down.
• My last response from Cat was that they don't have an official presence in Australia so I have to take it up with store I bought it from.
• Hotspot doesn't work either. Clients connect but either DNS isn't working or routing through the phone to the client isn't working (I haven't had time to diagnose).

Feeling pretty let down at the moment. Now I have no support, slow updates and my camera is pretty ordinary. I was excited to get a phone which has some innovative features but I'll be attempting a refund (we'll see how that goes...)

 

[mikedt]

Update:

• I got stuck in the supermarket without my wallet over the weekend so it turned out to be an excellent time to try safe mode again. I was let down.
• My last response from Cat was that they don't have an official presence in Australia so I have to take it up with store I bought it from.
• Hotspot doesn't work either. Clients connect but either DNS isn't working or routing through the phone to the client isn't working (I haven't had time to diagnose).

Feeling pretty let down at the moment. Now I have no support, slow updates and my camera is pretty ordinary. I was excited to get a phone which has some innovative features but I'll be attempting a refund (we'll see how that goes...)

Did you buy the phone as grey import, or bought it in another country and brought it into Australia? Many manufacturers don't support grey imports and phones not been used in the regions they're intended for. FWIW I've got a China version Huawei, and I wouldn't expect it to support Google Pay, although I've never tried. AliPay and TenPay, no problem of course.


And the hotspot not working. Do you know if your carrier restricts tethering? Do other phones tether aright?

 

[bdoona]

The CAT page has an Australian version, there is an Australian support number to call and there are Australian retailers listed on the "Where to buy" page. Having said that, work bought the phone for me and I'm starting to suspect that it was an ebay purchase.

Google Pay worked once in safe mode.

Hotspot worked on my previous phone (the awesome Pixel XL) with the same provider. The company are all on the same account so when I was out on site yesterday I had to hotspot to someone else's work phone. I don't believe that the provider is the issue.

 

[bdoona]

For anyone that is still interested...

I've ended up returning my phone for a refund. Google Pay isn't a deal breaker for me but hotspot not working is. As an Australian, my experience with Cat support wasn't great. They appear to have support but then they told me that "Cat phones does not have direct official presence in Australia".

Its a shame because it was the first phone in a long time that I was looking forward to having. Most phones these days are just iterations of the previous versions. This one was different.

Alanos313, good luck getting the original problem sorted.