The NFC payments feature is missing from the HarmonyOS 5.0 update for the Huawei Watch Ultimate primarily due to unresolved technical or regulatory issues. Despite earlier announcements that NFC payments would be included in updates for the Watch Ultimate, Watch GT 5, and Watch GT 5 Pro, the feature has not been implemented as expected.
Huawei has faced challenges in integrating NFC payments across its devices, partly due to the ongoing trade conflict with the U.S., which has limited its access to certain technologies and services like Google Pay. This has forced Huawei to develop alternative solutions, such as its own HUAWEI Wallet, which is currently limited in availability and functionality outside of China and some Asian regions[1][3].
For the Huawei Watch Ultimate, the latest updates have focused on enhancing system stability and introducing features like customizable lock screen passwords, but they have not included NFC payments[7][9]. The absence of this feature suggests that Huawei may still be working on resolving technical or regulatory hurdles before it can be implemented.
Additionally, the rollout of NFC payments on other Huawei models, such as the GT-5 series, is restricted to specific regions and requires pairing with an Android device, further indicating that broader implementation of NFC payments remains a complex issue for Huawei[1][4].
Citations:
[1] https://www.galaxus.at/en/page/huawei-smartwatches-will-soon-be-able-to-pay-wirelessly-via-nfc-35073
[2] https://consumer.huawei.com/en/support/content/en-us00409935/
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ek_9Wngsgk
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1YNVx2zcew
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUrtc-dVako
[6] https://www.reddit.com/r/HuaweiWatchGT/comments/1fz9e4j/a_huawei_watch_guide_for_beginners/
[7] https://gadgetbyte.net/news/huawei-releasing-a-new-global-update-for-watch-ultimate/
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMWkZi_oR2s
[9] https://www.notebookcheck.net/Huawei-rolling-out-new-global-Watch-Ultimate-update.949819.0.html