Venmo Is Going All In On Mobile Payments (appleinsider.com) 53
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.
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.
Dumb, dumb, dumb (Score:5, 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.
Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb (Score:5, 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.
Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb (Score:5, 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.
Re:Dumb, dumb, dumb (Score:4, Interesting)
Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb (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.
Re: (Score:2)
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?
Re: (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."
Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb (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.
Re: (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://
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Same with Google Maps (Score:2)
Google Maps won't work on safari on my phone... have to use the app. No thanks.
Re: (Score:3)
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
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb (Score:1)
PayPal is owned by eBay.
PYPL on Nasdaq (Score:2)
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 [wikipedia.org]). Does eBay retain a controlling interest in PYPL, with the remainder publicly traded or something?
Re: (Score:1)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
We had just entered an era of so called platform agnosticism with the web. Now it's being rolled back all over again.
Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:1)
Trump's charitable foundation will handle his legal expenses and the prison cantina fund.
After all, Charity begins at home.
Are they wanting access to your location & mic (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.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
What if the scammer is running a VPN?
Re: (Score:2)
Say, using one to appear being in the US when using a stolen account.
Re:Are they wanting access to your location & (Score:4, Insightful)
Is it a system seller? (Score:2)
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.
Re: (Score:2)
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.
Venmo sounds like a combination of ... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Works for me (Score:2)
I’m in favor of anything that prevents even a fraction of the population from using that insecure service.
Skeevy... (Score:4, Informative)
App only = proprietary (Score:2, Interesting)
Re: (Score:1)
Obvious what is happening here. (Score:4, 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.
RIP (Score:2)
"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.
At a time when they should be moving toward a PWA (Score:2)
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).
Re: (Score:2)
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.