Venmo’s biggest makeover in years comes at a very interesting time

Source: TechCrunch

Overview

Venmo is rolling out a significant redesign over the coming months that aims to make the app more useful, social, and easier to navigate. This is the peer‑to‑peer payments app’s biggest refresh since 2021.

Timing and Strategic Context

PayPal, which owns Venmo, is restructuring to spin Venmo off as a standalone business unit—a move widely seen as laying the groundwork for a potential sale. Stripe has reportedly expressed interest in buying PayPal outright. In that context, a splashy redesign looks less like a routine update and more like a window‑dressing job ahead of a transaction.

The rollout begins this week, with additional features arriving over the next few months. By fall, the entire redesign is expected to be available to all users.

New Feed Experience

One of the first changes users will notice is the revamped feed.

• The feed now shows a wider variety of visuals and larger images.
• New reaction options and quick‑action buttons such as Pay Again and Say Thanks make it easier to respond to payments.
• Personalized cashback offers from brands you shop with and product suggestions based on previous purchases are surfaced directly in the feed.

Image Credit: Venmo

“Give a Shoutout” for Local Businesses

A new Give a Shoutout button appears under payments in the feed, allowing users to endorse their favorite local businesses directly through the app.

“One of the things that we hear a lot, especially from Gen Z and younger audiences, is a real desire to support and endorse local businesses or merchants that they like. With this feed redesign, we’re giving an opportunity for them to share what we call social proofing. In the future, you will be able to kind of endorse that business — give a thumbs up, almost to say, ‘I go to you.’” — Alexis Sowa, Venmo senior vice president and general manager

Image Credit: Venmo

New Navigation Tabs

Send Tab

• Frequent contacts appear as a row of profile icons front and center.
• The Groups feature for bill‑splitting is easier to access, supporting splits with up to 30 people.
• Users can now send gifts, schedule payments, and quickly start new transactions.

Money Tab

• Central hub for managing expenses, accessing Teen Accounts, and exploring Crypto options.

Rewards Tab

• Consolidates all limited‑time offers in one place.
• Hosts Venmo’s Stash program, launched last November, which provides up to 5 % cash back on purchases with participating brands. Cashback is deposited directly to the Venmo Mastercard Debit Card.

User Research Insights

Sowa explained that the redesign stems from a year of user research, revealing that many features were hidden from customers:

“One of the biggest insights is how many features and functionalities we have that [customers] just have no idea exist in the app.”

Industry Trends

The update reflects a broader shift in what younger users expect from payment apps—less a utility tool, more a social platform. Competitors such as Verse, Daylight, and the European fintech app Revolut already offer social feeds, group bill splitting, and in‑app chat features.

Venmo’s core audience increasingly wants to see and share financial activity the way they would on any other social feed, and the app is clearly trying to meet that expectation before a potential new owner comes knocking.

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