Venmo is rolling out its most significant app redesign since 2021, introducing a revamped social feed, new navigation tabs, and expanded rewards features — changes that arrive as parent company PayPal restructures to spin Venmo off as a standalone business unit, a move widely seen as laying the groundwork for a potential sale.
The rollout began in May 2026, with additional features expected to follow over the coming months. The full redesign is expected to reach all users by fall 2026. Stripe has reportedly expressed interest in buying PayPal outright, adding further weight to the timing of the update.
The most immediate change is a redesigned feed, which replaces the previous simple list of transactions with larger images, a wider variety of visuals, and new response options including reactions and quick-action buttons such as “Pay Again” and “Say Thanks.” The feed will also surface personalized cashback offers and product suggestions based on past purchases. A new “Give a Shoutout” button will allow users to publicly endorse local businesses directly from the feed.
Two new tabs — “Send” and “Money” — will launch in the coming months. The Send tab surfaces frequent contacts as profile icons and makes the bill-splitting Groups feature more accessible, supporting splits among up to 30 people. Users can also send gifts and schedule payments from this section. The Money tab consolidates expense management, Teen Accounts, and Crypto access. A new Rewards tab will centralize limited-time offers and house Venmo’s Stash program, which offers up to 5% cash back on purchases made through the app, deposited to a Venmo Mastercard Debit Card.
Alexis Sowa, Venmo’s senior vice president and general manager, told TechCrunch the redesign followed a year of user research. “One of the biggest insights is how many features and functionalities we have that [customers] just have no idea exist in the app,” she said. Sowa also cited demand from younger users for tools to endorse local businesses they frequent.
The update suggests Venmo is working to make the app more visible and feature-complete ahead of any potential ownership change, while responding to a broader shift among younger users who increasingly expect payment apps to function more like social platforms.
Source: TechCrunch