Rumours that Android Pay was launching on August 26 turned out to be unfounded, but Google has chimed in to assure us that it's almost ready, Digital Spy reports.

The web giant took to Twitter to tease its answer to Apple Pay, promising that the payments service is coming "soon".

Word that Android Pay was launching this week came from a leak at fast food giant McDonald's, which informed staff that some of its US branches will be accepting the payment method from August 26.

Android Pay functions similarly to its Apple rival, allowing users to carry out touchless transactions via NFC, even if they are using an older device.

Google revealed Android Pay alongside its Android Marshmallow operating system at the I/O developer conference in May.

It is unclear whether Google's teaser refers to the global launch of Android Pay or merely its US release.