Google is reportedly developing a new Gmail feature that will allow users to receive and pay bills directly from their email inbox.
The new project is called Pony Express, though that could be an internal code name; Google could go in a different direction with branding when Pony Express launches to consumers.
Mobile gets it started
This interest in your personal finances has been led by a flurry of activity in Mobile Payments. Google tried to start the fire years ago, but was largely ignored. Then Apple came along with some of the very same ideas, but with a better blend of easy-to-use security and NFC-enabled mobile payments, and the land rush was on again.
Aside from paying a full bill yourself, Pony Express will also allow Gmail users to forward bills onto other people (roommates, spouses, etc.) to split up the full balance. This process can be automated, according to Recode's report. Google has yet to make any official public mention of Pony Express. But compared with paying by snail mail or visiting a utility provider's website, this could make for a faster way of paying off those monthly expenses.
