Google Play adds Venmo as a payment option
Developing story first seen 4 hours ago
Google has added Venmo as a payment option on Google Play, letting users pay for apps, games, in-app purchases and other digital content through the service. The move, effective from 10 August 2026, expands the range of payment methods available on the platform and reflects the continued growth in consumer spending on mobile apps and games.
Users can pay via Venmo's own wallet or through payment methods linked to it, such as bank accounts and cards, and can also use it to pay for subscriptions or tip creators within content-based apps; linking is done through the payment methods section of account settings. Venmo joins existing options including PayPal, Cash App and major card providers such as Visa and Mastercard, with Google also having trialled cash payments at local stores outside the US. The addition comes as global app spending continues to climb, with Sensor Tower reporting that combined iOS and Play Store in-app purchase spend exceeded $167 billion in 2025, up 10.6% year-on-year.
- Google Play now accepts Venmo for app and game purchases
- Users can link Venmo wallet, bank accounts or cards
- Global app spending hit $167bn in 2025, up 10.6%
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Google has expanded how people can pay for things on Google Play, its app store for Android devices, where users buy apps, games and extras such as in-game items or subscriptions. Alongside existing options such as PayPal, Cash App and standard debit or credit cards, shoppers can now also use Venmo, a US-based digital payment service that lets people pay from a linked bank account, card or their own Venmo balance.
Venmo is owned by PayPal and is widely used in the United States for sending money between friends and family, as well as for everyday purchases. Bringing it into Google Play means its users can now put it toward app purchases, subscriptions and even tipping content creators, without needing to enter card details separately.
The change reflects how much money now flows through mobile apps, with global spending on in-app purchases having grown significantly in recent years. Payment providers see mobile app stores as an important market, and platforms such as Google Play regularly add new ways to pay in order to make buying easier and capture more of that spending.
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