Rokid and Alipay Bring AR Payments to the Streets, Making Wallets Obsolete

What if you could buy your morning coffee just by saying, “Pay 10 RMB” into your glasses? That future is already arriving in China, where AR pioneer Rokid has teamed up with Alipay to launch voice-activated payments via augmented reality glasses. Announced today, Rokid Glasses will begin rolling out in June 2025—with over 250,000 units already ordered, the market is clearly ready for this futuristic take on everyday transactions.

From QR Codes to AR Commands

In stores, Rokid Glasses users simply look at a merchant’s Alipay QR code and say:
“Rokid, pay 10 RMB.”

The glasses scan the code, confirm the payment details on the integrated display, and complete the transaction via voice verification—all without the user ever pulling out a phone. According to Rokid, this entire process takes just a few seconds, cutting the 20–30 seconds typical of smartphone QR payments down to a blink.

And yes, it’s entirely hands-free.

“Equipping Rokid Glasses with payment capabilities brings users a smoother and more intuitive experience,” said Zhu Mingming, Rokid’s Founder and CEO. “This ushers the AI glasses industry into the era of payment.”

Why This Matters: The UX Shift in Commerce

While smartphone-based mobile payments have transformed commerce across Asia, this new capability signals something more fundamental: a shift from mobile-first to wearable-first interaction. In crowded shops, with hands full, or in fast-paced environments, the ability to transact by sight and sound—without physical handling—offers convenience that’s hard to match.

Alipay, for its part, is pushing boundaries across digital commerce. In 2024, it launched Alipay Tap!, which allows users to pay by tapping their phone against a merchant terminal—no app, no QR code required. That feature alone has already attracted over 100 million users as of April 2025.

AR Commerce: What Comes Next?

The implications extend far beyond convenience. With AR-based commerce, users could soon be:

• Getting real-time product info or virtual try-ons just by looking at an item.
• Receiving location-specific offers in stores or on the street.
• Paying instantly with gestures, gaze, or voice.

For merchants, this opens up a world of immersive engagement. Imagine a boutique where AR overlays guide a shopper to discounts, or a restaurant menu that floats in the user’s vision with AI-generated pairing suggestions—all wrapped in instant payment capability.

“Rokid Glasses deliver a brand-new user experience,” noted Zhang Aijuan, VP at Ant Group. “Alipay will fully support the growth of emerging industries and continue to create more value for users.”

A Glimpse of the Future

What the smartphone did for commerce in the 2010s, AR may do in the late 2020s. Rokid’s partnership with Alipay hints at a future where interaction is invisible, payments are seamless, and commerce is embedded into the physical world.

And unlike many experimental AR rollouts, this one is already backed by real infrastructure, real risk controls (via Alipay’s multidimensional fraud management), and a six-figure pre-order count.

Stay Ahead of the Curve with GlobalFinTechEdge — Your Daily Edge in Fintech Intelligence. Subscribe Now.