I downloaded the Suica application, but it says my phone is not compatible with it. I have an S20+. I also tried with Rakuten Pay to use that new Suica function, but when I download the おサイフケータイ アプリ it also says that my phone is not compatible. Is it because I did not buy the phone in Japan and these apps somehow region locked or something? I cant imagine why it does not work.
Has anyone encountered these problems before? Did you managed to solve it somehow?
Edit: It seems from the answers foreign Samsung phones wont work. That’s pity. Thanks anyways
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Having the same problem unfortunately, different phone however. Curious to see what people say.
Japanese devices with the same model name are different. The model number will different. Samsung sold outside Japan do not have necessary hardware
Samsung outside of Japan is pretty much incompatible
Android phone sold outside Japan doesn’t have hardware support for おサイフケータイ so they can’t be used.
Iirc, the app only works with phones sold in Japan. They require a specific hardware installed in those phones, so overseas model lack that particular part and therefore not compatible. It’s not a software only problem.
Short answer, you can’t use osaifu-keitai on foreign Android phones.
[https://support.google.com/pay/answer/12660666?hl=en&ref_topic=7644058](https://support.google.com/pay/answer/12660666?hl=en&ref_topic=7644058)
You could buy a a google pixel smart watch Google Smart watch says:” You can use Suica on your watch even if your smartphone doesn’t support Osaifu-Keitai. “
This is why I tell people it’s not worth buying a phone overseas just to save a few dollars.
(Pasmo user) A while ago, I made progress with installing オサイフケータイon my Japan-bought Android phone and then went and uninstalled it. Two reasons: (1) The オサイフケータイinstallation asked for a whole bunch of other apps to be downloaded (4 or 5 or 6 of them) and I concluded (rightly or wrongly) that kind of complexity was asking for trouble; (2) All Japanese credit cards can’t be used with Google Wallet for NFC payments – none of mine, unfortunately. (I was going for the Google-Pasmo trick.) Then I bought a thin card sleeve from Amazon, with some superglue-type 3M adhesive, and stuck it to the back of my phone case… not as cool but works just as well 🙂
The apps can be made to work, but not for any IC e-payment functions due to the Felica NFC-F Japan uses. You *can* use the app to read Suica/Pasmo balances and even apps to read Mynumber cards since those use NFC-B for non-payment functions.
There is no longer a chip specific for Felica in most devices, but a software function in embedded SE hardware. Essentially it is not licensed/activated to function any non-Japanese SKU phone outside of the iPhone 8 and above.
I use a non-Japanese S20 Ultra 5G for my daily functions and an iPhone for Suica/Pasmo.