Six months after Apple Pay became available in Israel, smartphone users can now enjoy Google Pay.

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Google Pay can be used for purchases of over 300 shekels ($96) and is available for free download from Google Store.

To use Google Pay, a smartphone user is identified via code or fingerprint. Then they hold their device up to a business' payment terminal, and the transaction is processed. Google Pay can be used at any business set up to take EMV contact-free payments.

The Bank of Israel has instructed all businesses in Israel to install EMV systems, and the process is expected to be completed in the coming months.

In a related development, starting Tuesday, Android users who have Max credit cards are now able to use Google Pay rather than the Max smartphone app.

According to Max CEO Ron Fainaro, payment via smartphone in Israel is gaining traction a growing at an average rate of 10% per month.

"Most of the users, almost 60%, are under age 40. About 20% are aged 41-50, and the rest are over 51. I'm certain that Google Pay will increase even more the use of smartphones as a key payment method," Fainaro said.

Since Apple Pay became an option for Israeli iPhone users, the number of payment transactions conducted by smartphone jumped by several hundred percent. However, smartphone payment still comprises only some 7% of digital payments in Israel.

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Theranica, a prescribed digital therapeutics company developing advanced electroceuticals for migraine and other pain conditions, has announced that its FDA-approved acute migraine treatment wearable Nerivio has been named a silver winner of the 2021 Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) in the Digital Health Products and Mobile Medical Apps category.

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Nerivio, is a the first smartphone-controlled migraine treatment device that utilizes Remote Electrical Neuromodulation (REN) to treat migraine pain. Worn on the upper arm for 45 minutes, the device stimulates the brain's innate pain regulation mechanism to alleviate migraine pain and symptoms. The treatment is personalized through the Nerivio app (available for iPhone and Android), which includes an interactive migraine diary that can be easily shared between patient and doctor to improve migraine management.

"We are honored to be recognized by the Medical Design Excellence Awards for the advanced technology behind Nerivio. The unique design and usability of the device makes it an effective treatment option and we are committed to continuing to provide patients with accessible pain relief," said Ronen Jashek, co-founder and COO of Theranica.

"Nerivio is advancing the migraine treatment market by expanding the options beyond medication – a long awaited shift in the field. Thank you to the jurors for recognizing this important alternative first-line treatment that helps patients manage this debilitating and pervasive condition."

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The recently-ended 2020 saw Israelis home internet consumption jump 23% compared to 2019, according to a new report released by the Pelephone, Bezeq, and Yes communications providers.

The data from the report also showed a 36% rise in home Internet use during the Passover holiday; a 41% rise the week of Rosh Hashana (when Israel declared a second nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus); and a 40% spike during the week of Sukkot.

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On average, 2020 saw a 20% rise in internet use via smartphones, with Israelis consuming 2 more gigabytes worth of data each month than they did in 2019. The report said that until October 2020, each month of this past year saw Pelephone customers' smartphone internet usage break records.

In 2020, Israelis were also spending more time using their phones to hold actual conversations – 11% more voice calls took place in 2020 than in 2019. The increase in voice calls picked up early in 2020 when the COVID pandemic first hit Israel, and peaked during the High Holidays and the second lockdown, during which time Israelis spent 20% more time talking on the phone than they did at the same time in 2019.

At least some of the internet time was devoted to shopping, with many Israelis transitioning to online food orders instead of visiting supermarkets. Online orders with the country's major supermarket chains jumped by an average 20% throughout 2020, compared to 2019. When the first lockdown was declared in March 2020, online grocery shopping doubled. Even after businesses reopened, online grocery purchases were still up by 15% in 2020 compared to the previous year.

In addition to stocking the refrigerator through online orders, Israelis also upped their use of food delivery apps, which increased 92% in 2020 compared to 2019. In the last few weeks of August, use of food delivery apps grew by 230% compared to the previous year.

Appliance retailers also saw online customer traffic increase, with 20% more hits on their websites in 2020 than in 2019. The first major jump in this shopping sector came as Passover approached, bringing a 33% increase in customer traffic on appliance and electrical retailers' sites. Visits to these sites spiked again in November, which saw an increase of 50% in customer traffic.

While Israelis were busy shopping, they were buying less from international websites due to shipping delays caused by the COVID pandemic. Orders from international sites dropped by 11% in 2020. However, orders from international sellers picked up again in late November as Israelis took advantage of Black Friday deals.

Shopping wasn't the only thing Israelis were doing on line. Hungry for information about COVID, unemployment benefits, and related issues caused traffic on government ministry and healthcare websites to jump by 15% in comparison to 2019.

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Online dating took a hit in 2020, with usage of dating sites down 7% by May 2020 and down by 15% during the first two lockdowns. When the lockdown restrictions were eased, dating sites saw an uptick in use.

While dating was on hold, social media sites were busier than ever. Facebook saw a 15% increase in use, as did the Whatsapp messaging app. Twitter use jumped by 32% compared to 2020.

Interestingly, Israelis watched only 5% more television in 2020 than in 2019.

Dror Bahat, head of products, services, and digital marketing at Pelephone, Yes, and Bezeq International, said that "The year of COVID sent Israelis burrowing deep at home. We were stuck for various screens, we spent more time surfing, we talked more. Video chats and Zoom became a part of our daily routines.

"We discovered food delivery apps and spent a lot less time outside and on the roads. We all hope that in 2021 COVID will disappear from our lives forever, but it's already clear that its influence on our routines, the way in which we consume media and use the internet and various media outlets is here to stay," Bahat said.

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Slotomania, from Israel's Playtika, is one of the top-grossing apps in both the Apple and Google stores.

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Goodman takes users through an average day in the dull life of an index finger that gets tapped on a table and squashed on "boring buttons" on a phone screen. But new horizons open for the downcast digit when users download Slotomania.

"That, ladies and gentlemen, is excitement," Goodman's finger declares.

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According to Channel 13, which did not cite a source, the program was approved by top Justice Ministry officials, including Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit. The Shin Bet reportedly received permission to operate the program for six months, after which the agency was allowed to proceed with it for another 2.5 years. It is also possible that the tracking is still in place, the report said.

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What, if any, oversight measure are in place is unclear.

The report did not go into detail about what type of data the Shin Bet was gathering, and said that the agency mined data from cellular providers' databases – allegedly without informing them or obtaining permission.

The Justice Ministry issued a statement in response to the report: "The methods the Shin Bet uses in its fight against terrorism and in general are by law classified, and exposing them could cause serious harm to national security. Often, legal issues pertaining to the agency's methods are presented to the attorney general, or one of his representatives, to be evaluated and approved."

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The research, conducted by the Parks Associates market research company, also tracked changes in consumer attitudes and adoption of telehealth services as a result of COVID-19 as well as measuring future interest in telehealth services once the pandemic is over.

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The study found that Americans who experienced COVID-19 symptoms were more willing to share smartphone data to aid in contact tracing than those who have not experienced symptoms. Still, nearly half of those who have not experienced symptoms are willing to share their smartphone data.

"Apple and Google have together developed an API and framework that developers, in partnership with public health officials and other stakeholders, can use to build contact-tracing apps," said senior analyst Kristen Hanich.

As for the other aspect of the study, Hanich pointed out that the study found that use of telehealth services nearly tripled year-over-year, with 41% of US broadband households having used a telehealth service in the past 12 months.

"This increased usage of telehealth services comes as many consumers are unable – or unwilling – to visit a physician in person due to widespread efforts to minimize in-person contact with patients. It is a dramatic switch for both care providers and telehealth services," she noted.

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Some of the senior officials of Facebook Israel arrived at the resort city, including CEO of Facebook Israel Adi Sofer Teeni, who gave an interview to Israel Hayom.

When asked whether Facebook listened to users' smartphone conversations and sent ad content tailored for the users, Sofer Teeni responded, "Today we understand that Facebook is such a significant platform in people's lives and a lot of times they come up with questions that aren't always easy to find answers for. So we came to the amazing city Eilat to answer all the questions," she said.

Touching on issues of customer service, Sofer Teeni said, "First of all, we have customer service – it's just in a different form from what was customary before the age of the Internet. There are 2.7 billion users – they create a lot of content, so there are a lot of reports [about] it and problems with it. The way we handle it allows every report to make its way to the appropriate professional teams in different fields."

Dudi, a Facebook user from Kiryat Malachi, stops by the Facebook booth and raises the million-dollar question about targeted ads.

"Every time I talk to my wife about anything, they always start to show up on Facebook and we're afraid they're listening in on our phone conversations," he says.

Does Facebook eavesdrop?

Sofer Teeni: "Absolutely not. That's an urban legend that keeps going around, so I'm saying right here, in Eilat – no, we don't listen in to people's phones. Mark Zuckerberg said so in Congress, and we say so again and again. We don't listen in, we've never listened, and we won't ever listen."

Sofer Teeni tries to turn users' attention to another matter.

"On the question of why people see something they were talking about, what people forget is that if they talk about something, it's usually something that they were interested in. What does 'interested in' mean? They looked it up online, they went to a site or a Facebook page that's related, or 'liked' something relevant."

"Our entire ad campaign is built on us understand what people's interests are, to the extent that they want to share those interests. People have full control over whether they want to see ads related to their areas of interest or not," Sofer Teeni says.

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