Yes, it's less about payments than more modern systems. The UK has free current ( checking) accounts with debit cards that are essentially free to use, so there's not much incentive for other payment systems. A contactless debit card is quicker and easier to use than an app anyway, although google/apple apps work with that too.
Subscriptions are often done via "direct debit" ( since 1970 ), which is safer than letting anyone take money if they have your details, so that's been a solved problem here for a while too.
The downside is the first-movers problem, where the UK having been ahead a couple of decades ago will now likely be behind for a while, because there isn't so much incentive.
Hopefully not as long as the USA has been behind though!
> contactless debit card is quicker and easier to use than an app anyway,
How so? I just tap my mobile on the terminal just like tapping my debit or credit card. In Norway that works with both Google pay and Vipps.
The advantage with Vipps is that I can also pay other private individuals knowing only their mobile number and the payment is instant.