Google Wallet is currently available on the Nexus S smartphone. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

It always gets ugly when there’s money involved.

Just days before Google’s next flagship smartphone launch, Google and Verizon are locked in a public battle over mobile payments, with both companies vying for a foothold in the fledgling mobile e-commerce arena.

The issue in question: Whether Google’s e-commerce app — dubbed Google Wallet — should appear on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the biggest Android smartphone launch of 2011. Google says Verizon doesn’t want Wallet on the phone.

“Verizon asked us not t...