Google has spent the past few years ramping up its efforts to get Android users to download more apps — and, in turn, to spend more cash on games, in-app purchases, and more. Today, Google is adding Venmo as an all-new way to make purchases on the Play Store, meaning that $40 you keep forgetting to transfer to your bank account just became your ticket to movie rentals, ad-free apps, and more.
Google says Venmo users can link their account to the Play Store beginning today, allowing it to serve as an additional payment method for anything within the store. Alongside debit and credit cards, it joins Cash App and PayPal (which, as Venmo users have no doubt noticed through a cozier and cozier relationship, owns Venmo) as alternate payment methods available at checkout. Although Google doesn’t specify regions with this announcement, Venmo is effectively exclusive to the US, meaning this change really only affects US residents.
Honestly, this move has taken a surprisingly long time to get here. Google added Cash App as a payment method on Play over two years ago now, and PayPal has been available as a billing option for over a decade. Still, for those of you who rely on Venmo for payments, cash transfers, and more, your digital wallet just opened up some new possibilities.
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- Google is opening the floodgates to third-party app stores on Android
- EU fines Google $1 billion for ‘preferential treatment’ in Search, Play Store