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Venmo Is Going All In On Mobile Payments (appleinsider.com)

Venmo, the PayPal-owned, peer-to-peer payments app, is ending web support for its service. When the changes are all rolled out, users will only be able to make payments and charge users via the iOS or Android app. TechCrunch reports: The message to users was quietly shared in the body of Venmo's monthly transaction history email. It reads as follows: "NOTICE: Venmo has decided to phase out some of the functionality on the Venmo.com website over the coming months. We are beginning to discontinue the ability to pay and charge someone on the Venmo.com website, and over time, you may see less functionality on the website -- this is just the start. We therefore have updated our user agreement to reflect that the use of Venmo on the Venmo.com website may be limited."

The decision represents a notable shift in product direction for Venmo. Though best known as a mobile payments app, the service has also been available online, similar to PayPal, for many years.

53 comments

  1. Dumb, dumb, dumb by omnichad · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I say this as someone who does most of his texting via a desktop computer, but if something doesn't work with a real computer, then it's just toy tech. It's bad enough when social media sites go mobile only (more sad when it's just a web view for the app) and will only do push notifications vs email alerts. Something that's supposed to be universal should not be restricted to mobile devices.

    1. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      With a desktop app, they can't track location and it is easier to share an account, and thus makes it harder to track payments to a particular individual. For instance, my family all share one PayPal account.

      Venmo is "free", so you are the product. You are worth less, and are apparently worthless, when accessing the service from the desktop.

    2. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by nitehawk214 · · Score: 4, Informative

      This is why Zelle is killing Venmo. It is a product provided by banks to their customers. If banks don't want to get on board with Zelle, they risk losing customers to banks that do.

      --
      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
    3. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by dark.nebulae · · Score: 1

      This is exactly the reasons this will not get used.

      I don't use mobile apps because of the tracking, location and otherwise. F*cking vampires want all of your blood, not just what you agree to share.

    4. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Indeed. Makes it really easy to not use their service for me though. I think PayPal is a has-been anyways. That they have lost Ebay (not yet implemented, but already announced) speaks volumes.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    5. Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The PayPal eBay split has more to do with eBay's inability to develop a reasonable user base. Theyre looking for new and innovative ways to nickel and dime their sellers. additional costs to process whatever retarded payment method customers use will be passed on to eBay's sellers and used to prop up the company.

    6. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by sheramil · · Score: 0

      I say this as someone who does most of his texting via a desktop computer, but if something doesn't work with a real computer, then it's just toy tech.

      That's interesting. When I was working in PC support, the Mainframe support people said the same thing about us. This was just before we got rid of all the mainframes and replaced them with PCs.

    7. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by omnichad · · Score: 1

      We had just entered an era of so called platform agnosticism with the web. Now it's being rolled back all over again.

    8. Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb by Wycliffe · · Score: 1

      Platform agnosticism really only works if the cost of supporting extra platforms is minimal. When universal web apps are not good enough and companies have to support native apps on multiple platforms, they start looking to which can be cut. In many cases, if your primary user base is mobile, it makes sense to stop supporting web and instead focus on android and ios.

    9. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by nitehawk214 · · Score: 1

      Look at it from a vendor lock-in standpoint. Mobile devices are almost entirely locked in walled gardens, even Android. The same was true for Mainframes.

      PCs allow freedom to choose how you want to use software. More importantly, modern web apps can be used from mobile browsers, pcs, apple, linux, windows.

      The same logic would apply if Venmo decided their system could only be accessed through an ActiveX control or a flash app. Vendor lock-in chases people away and provides no benefit to the vendor.

      --
      I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
    10. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by jhecht · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Zelle couldn't deliver a payment to me a few months back because I don't use a smartphone to access my bank account.

    11. Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 2

      I can't imagine using a mobile device for financial transactions. I recently did, however, use a website to order more paper checks to pay bills with.

      I have plenty of 'accounts' and online relationships with non-financial organisations. I have zero interest in establishing motre passwords, particularly with organisations I pay money to. The mortgage, gas and electrical bills are paid with a stamp.

    12. Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      PayPal is owned by eBay.

    13. Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb by tepples · · Score: 1

      The mortgage, gas and electrical bills are paid with a stamp.

      Would you continue to do this even if the utilities in your area start giving a $60 per year or $5 per month discount on your bill for having both email billing and automatic withdrawal enabled?

    14. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      This is why Zelle is killing Venmo. It is a product provided by banks to their customers. If banks don't want to get on board with Zelle, they risk losing customers to banks that do.

      My bank is too small to be on the bandwagon (yet --it's only a matter of time before a large entity like Citibank absorbs it and forces my hand) but from what I hear on /. banks have some draconian, backwards apps too.

      They are draconian entities. I've seen a Multifactor app (DUO or MS Authenticator) that just prevents your taking screenshots --I'm not sure why, but when you write documentation it's annoying that you end up having to use an emulator to regain control over your rights :)

      This bank app https://www.banksa.com.au/online-services/mobile-banking/app-permissions mentions need rights to too many things on that don't seem directly related to "internet access" --all someone needs when sitting at a traditional workstation.

      The Android app section is vastly different from their iPad / iPhone demands: your phone identity and number ("for security" which apparently a malware capable PC is somehow exempt from), contacts (supposedly for personal money transfers), [google] accounts (apparently for notifications), other running apps (supposedly to be helpful by seeing if their 2 other bank apps are running), photos / media (for saving statements). They also want phone call rights to help them call the bank --isn't just showing someone a number enough?

      Both systems need your GPS (for "helping you find nearby branches" and whether you're visiting one). My guess is eventually banks will start closing down their online shops in the guise of security.

    15. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is your bank retarded? I use Zelle all the time, and I have never once accessed my bank via mobile device.

    16. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Zelle has no way of delivering a payment if you don't also accept terms and connect the account for sending payments - something that I will not do. I'm more than content to wait to receive a physical check and have it processed.

    17. Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Automatic withdrawal is an ugly situation where, once it is approved and enabled, cannot be discontinued on the account owner's side - only from the business recipient. I've argued round-and-round with my bank on multiple occasions to the point of simply saying, "fine! If you won't disable the automatic transaction then I'm closing the entire account and moving to a different bank."

    18. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by tlhIngan · · Score: 2

      With a desktop app, they can't track location and it is easier to share an account, and thus makes it harder to track payments to a particular individual. For instance, my family all share one PayPal account.

      Venmo is "free", so you are the product. You are worth less, and are apparently worthless, when accessing the service from the desktop.

      I think it's closer to a duplication of services. Venmo is for social payments - you use it when you want to split the bill with friends but don't carry cash, so you use Venmo when you're out to to send the payer your share of the bill.

      While you're at the desktop, there's no reason to use Venmo - if you wanted to pay, you use Paypal at the desktop.

      And that's where they want to draw the line - Venmo is for out-and-about payments that you do (which you may have done with cash, but since everyone's going all electronic, you use your phone to send your friend the money). You use Paypal for regular payments that can occur over the internet.

      Considering Venmo is owned and operated by Paypal, this makes sense - why have two sites to do the same thing? Twice the work and one site will never be able to do something the other site can. So Paypal concentrates on being able to be the payment processor for websites and individuals, and Venmo be the "social" payment app friends use to send money between themselves. This would allow them to use technologies like NFC to tap money between accounts and such.

      Also kind of reinforces the repayment immediately - just as people reimburse others immediately, you'd use Venmo the same way - not getting home and remembering you owe Bob $10 for your lunch.

    19. Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb by Shirley+Marquez · · Score: 1

      It doesn't make sense for the user, though. Why have two accounts that do the same thing? Doing business with both PayPal and Venmo means two accounts, two passwords to remember, two sets of financial records...

    20. Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      I am already 'wasting a stamp' as some of the envelopes even preach at me on the very spot on the envelope where I stick a stamp each month.

      I like having slightly more control over the bill paying process. I know it's a slight amount.

  2. No Mobile payments in Federal Prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Trump should just load up his prison cantina fund now, because he's not going to be Venmo'ing at all for the rest of his life, very soon.

    1. Re:No Mobile payments in Federal Prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Trump will be pardoned by President Pence. He is essentially bulletproof wrt Federal Charges. State charges may be a different matter, however.

    2. Re:No Mobile payments in Federal Prison by vtcodger · · Score: 0

      Trump's charitable foundation will handle his legal expenses and the prison cantina fund.

      After all, Charity begins at home.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    3. Re:No Mobile payments in Federal Prison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Use of charitable funds for personal criminal defense is illegal. Donations to a charity must be used to further the goals of the charity.

      Ditto for campaign funds.

  3. Are they wanting access to your location & mic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Those were the two main reasons my company dropped our web site and went to only an iOS app. We wanted to confirm the location of our users and record a verbal confirmation of actions. It's terrible for privacy, but has saved us several times when someone claimed they didn't do something and we could play the recording and show their location to their boss. It's hard to deny, for example, placing an order after we recorded the employee's location at their house.

  4. Venmo sounds like a combination of ... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Venmo sounds like a combination of "Venom" and "Vomit." The latter is the reaction to their latest move: I'll sooner just give you cash or write a check.

    1. Re: Venmo sounds like a combination of ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      God you're old.

    2. Re: Venmo sounds like a combination of ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, he is smart.
      Only those wanting to accelerate our loss of privacy and rights use phones for financial transactions.

      Cash is one of the few things we have left that allows us any personal "freedom".

    3. Re: Venmo sounds like a combination of ... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      I'd rather be a grumpy old fart than a millennial Kool-Aid drinker.

  5. Works for me by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    I’m in favor of anything that prevents even a fraction of the population from using that insecure service.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  6. Re:Are they wanting access to your location & by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

    IP address is enough to determine that a US customer's account isn't suddenly being (say) used in Nigeria.

  7. Skeevy... by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 3, Informative

    Isn't Venmo/Venom/Vomit the company that also makes users' transactions public as part of some sort of "social network"?

  8. WTF is Venmo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A quick check online shows it's some kind of payments thing featuring pedestrian vulns and FTC actions due to security and privacy issues.

    So yes shutting down their payment website is a welcome positive first step on their path to going out of business.

  9. Re:Are they wanting access to your location & by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

    What if the scammer is running a VPN?

  10. Re:Are they wanting access to your location & by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Running one or using one?

  11. App only = proprietary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is just as bad as making an Internet Explorer only app. Don’t have the latest phone or on a phone the devs don’t support like Windows phone? Then you lose your money. We still need open source money (and real open source, not “crypto”currency).

    1. Re:App only = proprietary by cre1mer · · Score: 1

      I'm sure there are plenty of IE6 developers who would come out of retirement to develop IE-only apps.

  12. Re:Are they wanting access to your location & by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Scammer could as well be using an Android emulator and a VPN :D

  13. Re:Are they wanting access to your location & by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

    Say, using one to appear being in the US when using a stolen account.

  14. Obvious what is happening here. by Tough+Love · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Obvious what is happening here, Venmo can violate your privacy and operate malware on your device more efficiently with an app than a browser interface, because browsers are starting to get pretty secure. Whereas even without exploits (of which there are no shortage) Venmo can easily trick or coerce user victims into clicking those privacy invasion/spyware authorization buttons.

    --
    When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
  15. RIP by fred911 · · Score: 1

    "The decision represents a notable shift in product direction for Venmo." ..and will mark a notable shift in my use of the service (the aren't a product). Any service that requires permissions on a mobile device with an "app" that's processes aren't completely transparent, and requires my granting access to resources that are unnecessary for services gets deleted and replaced by someone who wants and welcomes my business. All others can blow me.

    --
    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B - D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  16. At a time when they should be moving toward a PWA by hackel · · Score: 1

    There is absolutely no reason for something like Venmo to be a native mobile app. They should be moving toward a Progressive Web App, so this is a step in the absolute opposite direction. So ridiculous. I've still yet to use Venmo or meet anyone else who does. I guess it's because I'm not a millennial. Actions like this are certainly not motivating me to try it out, either.

    I guess I'll be sticking with Google Pay Send (in spite of it's new, terrible name).

  17. PYPL on Nasdaq by tepples · · Score: 1

    PayPal is owned by eBay.

    In what sense? Last I checked, PayPal went from being an eBay subsidiary to a second IPO as PYPL on Nasdaq back in July 2015 (source). Does eBay retain a controlling interest in PYPL, with the remainder publicly traded or something?

  18. Is it a system seller? by tepples · · Score: 1

    Those were the two main reasons my company dropped our web site and went to only an iOS app.

    That's a possibility, but then you have to make your application compelling enough that prospective users are willing to spend $299 for an iPad mini on which to run your application in addition to what your company charges for a license to use your application.

  19. Re:At a time when they should be moving toward a P by tepples · · Score: 1

    There is absolutely no reason for something like Venmo to be a native mobile app. They should be moving toward a Progressive Web App

    That largely depends on whether Apple has recently closed the gaps in Apple WebKit's support for Progressive Web App APIs.

  20. Happening 2 months? And why I don't use Venmo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's easier to just use Paypal.

  21. Same with Google Maps by bagofbeans · · Score: 1

    Google Maps won't work on safari on my phone... have to use the app. No thanks.

  22. Re:Are they wanting access to your location & by gl4ss · · Score: 1

    you could just have required those same things to be enabled if using the website you know.

    also your system still seems to be a bit open for deliberate attack, except in such case you would still claim that you have proof it was the employee doing something.

    I hope you don't actually trust anything coming from the cilent app.

    also just throw it in a decompiler online if you haven't already and either go "neat" or "omg i'm shitting bricks". if its the "neat" part, then congraz you did your job.

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  23. No Crypto - No Customer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Venmo really shot itself in the foot when it allowed itself to be acquired by the terroristic monster we all know as Paypal.

    Venmo could have been something great - an easy to use interface loaded up with crypto wallets, able to send payments to other Venmo users in any denomination. They could have even worked with (or even acquired) ShapeShift so that you could pick the currency you wished to receive, and convert incoming payments on the fly.

    But no. They had to go to the dark side. They had to let Paypal take them over and ruin them.

    1. Re:No Crypto - No Customer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And nothing of value was lost :)

  24. CRE1MER is a SPAMMER: FAQ by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

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