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Venmo Halts New Developer Access To Its API

97 points by coloneltcb 11y ago

hobonumber1 11y ago
Ouch. Anyone affected by this?
- Recoveringhobo 11y ago
  Yep. I have two services using the API, both only really used by my friends. One is a cost splitting web app and the other was to send money to your friends only through SMS.
darzu 11y ago
Will this break Splitwise?
- carlosdp 11y ago
  Thought the same thing. Yea, pretty sure it will.
benlower 11y ago
That's unfortunate for anyone who was using the API. Not cool to just shut it off like that. However it seems Venmo has realized they are an app and not a platform.
aioprisan 11y ago
Who thought this was a good idea? Are existing businesses using their API cut off, or just new sign-ups? How can existing businesses develop new or existing functionality on their platform? Cue in the "sorry we're not sorry" non-apology blog post in 72 hours.
pfarnsworth 11y ago
I'm guessing this is due to fraud or compliance, and some bigwig at Paypal said "Shut it down now."
- nd1234 11y ago
  likely as they have so many apis already
eatonphil 11y ago
This seems like a reasonable move by PayPal - except for the lack of a migration plan. Why not address it directly and offer a path to migrate to PayPal? It seems like they had an opportunity to gain all Venmo API users and instead, they threw them all away.
eva1984 11y ago
Hahh...they will lose all the trust and will never recover
seibelj 11y ago
The fact this decision was made shows that non-engineers are calling all of the shots. Would love to hear from any engineer at venmo / paypal who can give the inside scoop
atrudeau 11y ago
Somebody should create an API risk rating that devs can consult. This same story plays over and over again...
jasontsui 11y ago
The author is trying to get on the outrage train when there is no compelling reason for it. The college kids he cites? A project with 2 likes. Splitting a Papa Johns pizza? Killer use case. OP seems to be grasping at straws to find concrete reasons for the API to exist. "Drivers, dog walkers, handymen" are mentioned but author doesnt include an actual example - those were all examples supplied by Venmo itself...3 years ago. Who are the developers hes talking about when he says "community that stuck with Venmo"? And finally, unlike Twitter, which has an plethora number of ways to be consumed, searched and experienced that would be better as different apps - Venmo does not. Its just a P2P payment system. The way I see it, Venmo has accomplished the following - 1. Deprecated old features (save resources, reduce complexity) 2. Found new way of building profitable and sustainable relationships w other businesses, rather than just a wild west API. Terrible read, file this under- "How TO Run a Platform"
- lacorp 11y ago
  I agree that there might not have been concrete reasons for the API to exist (especially considering PayPal has their own API), but shutting down the API with no warning or migration plan was a mean move. Even if the only projects using it are small I still think the developers of them deserve some warning. They still worked hard on those projects and are probably proud of the work they did.
- hire_charts 11y ago
  The biggest API integration I know of is Splitwise. Their Android app has 500K+ installs and it's probably the same ballpark on iOS, which puts them leagues above a college kid with 2 likes.
  - infecto 11y ago
    I always wondered about this app. Have been using it for years and no idea how they stay afloat.
    - cargo8 11y ago
      Because they are owned by Braintree (big payments processor) who is owned by PayPal (who used to be owned by eBay before being spun out to be independent)
saneshark 11y ago
I think Venmo must have come under greater scrutiny. I was recently contacted by someone in their support and compliance team about a charitable donation I made to a Syrian refugee cause. I can't help to think that this particular contribution was flagged for some kind of potential Safe Harbor violation. I gave them the name of the charity and they moved on. It could be that they shut down the api because of the difficulty of doing compliance for these third party apps, after falling under greater scrutiny by government regulation. Or perhaps there was a specific incident that they're trying to get ahead of: -hypothetical- maybe the San Bernardino phone the FBI is trying to crack has Venmo transactions through a third party app that are now under scrutiny.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
andrethegiant 11y ago
Never understood why/how Venmo gained so much popularity in the first place. Using it is not any easier than using PayPal, Square Cash, etc. The only differentiating feature I can think of is its newsfeed of friends' transactions (and it baffles me how anyone finds that interesting). Am I missing something?
- saneshark 11y ago
  It's a lot easier than Paypal to make an account and send money. Your friends and contacts are already loaded via whatever social network you OAuth[orized] the app through. It is quite literally as easy as typing a friends name and having it auto completed. Typing in a number and hitting send. Paypal might have an app that does something similar and it likely came after Venmo gained popularity. For most of us, who have been using Paypal since the 2000s, it might not seem logical, but Paypal UI experience does seem like an archaic UI experience by comparison even to me.
  - TillE 11y ago
    PayPal has had "send money to any email address" since the very beginning, or close to it. Yes the recipient has to then create a PayPal account, but that's usually not very painful.
    - thescriptkiddie 11y ago
      Have you ever made a PayPal account? Sending in scans of two different photo IDs isn't exactly "not very painful".
      - nd1234 11y ago
        yep, works fine ...
- ethanbond 11y ago
  The fact that everyone has it and people don't believe that Square Cash actually works as well as it does.
fredifrum 11y ago
The article is massively wrong and misleading. The API is NOT being shut down. Current applications can still work, but new ones are no longer being accepted. See this tweet from Venmo: https://twitter.com/venmo/status/703353293326655488 https://twitter.com/venmo/status/703353293326655488 > Don't worry, the Venmo API is still available to existing users, we're just not accepting new beta users for now.
- minimaxir 11y ago
  Relevant Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/williamready/status/703349746992197632 https://twitter.com/williamready/status/703349746992197632
- mclifton 11y ago
  I love that they're trying to pin this on Venmo, like it's somehow their problem and not a completely misleading article built on misinformation. > Venmo seems to be confused. According to statement below from Venmo and the message on the developer site, the API is no longer available. But now Venmo tells me the API is still available to existing developers, but not to new ones, which can be a sign of an impending shut down. We’ll update with more info soon once Venmo figures itself out. Parts of this article have been changed for accuracy.
sisk 11y ago
This is extremely misleading. The (beta) Venmo API is no longer accepting new user sign ups. It will continue to work for existing users. This is because Pay with Venmo is already available through Braintree (who acquired Venmo): https://www.braintreepayments.com/features/venmo https://www.braintreepayments.com/features/venmo
nathancahill 11y ago
dang, can you change the title to the updated article title: "Venmo Kills Off New Developer Access To Its API"
Animats 11y ago
On the one hand, it's obnoxious to create an API and encourage developers to use it, then pull the plug. On the other hand, APIs that process payments are a way to steal money, and tougher standards are necessary. Venmo has had security problems and fraud problems. Putting a fourth party in the chain (Venmo itself is a third party; it's not a bank, it's an external ACH transaction generator) makes it tough to allocate blame when something goes wrong.
ppdev 11y ago
paypal apis have improved a lot since https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4485627 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4485627 but these occurrences takes paypal back again. looks like there are multiple developer teams again that are not integrated
ppdev 11y ago
paypal apis have improved a lot since https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4485627 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4485627 but these occurrences takes paypal back again. looks like there are multiple developer teams again that are not integrated
ppdev 11y ago
paypal apis have improved a lot since https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4485627 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4485627 but these occurrences takes paypal back again. looks like there are multiple developer teams again that are not integrated

97 points by coloneltcb 11y ago

hobonumber1 11y ago

Ouch. Anyone affected by this?

Recoveringhobo 11y ago
Yep. I have two services using the API, both only really used by my friends. One is a cost splitting web app and the other was to send money to your friends only through SMS.

darzu 11y ago

Will this break Splitwise?

carlosdp 11y ago
Thought the same thing. Yea, pretty sure it will.

benlower 11y ago

That's unfortunate for anyone who was using the API. Not cool to just shut it off like that. However it seems Venmo has realized they are an app and not a platform.

aioprisan 11y ago

Who thought this was a good idea? Are existing businesses using their API cut off, or just new sign-ups? How can existing businesses develop new or existing functionality on their platform? Cue in the "sorry we're not sorry" non-apology blog post in 72 hours.

pfarnsworth 11y ago

I'm guessing this is due to fraud or compliance, and some bigwig at Paypal said "Shut it down now."

nd1234 11y ago
likely as they have so many apis already

eatonphil 11y ago

This seems like a reasonable move by PayPal - except for the lack of a migration plan. Why not address it directly and offer a path to migrate to PayPal? It seems like they had an opportunity to gain all Venmo API users and instead, they threw them all away.

eva1984 11y ago

Hahh...they will lose all the trust and will never recover

seibelj 11y ago

The fact this decision was made shows that non-engineers are calling all of the shots. Would love to hear from any engineer at venmo / paypal who can give the inside scoop

atrudeau 11y ago

Somebody should create an API risk rating that devs can consult. This same story plays over and over again...

jasontsui 11y ago

The author is trying to get on the outrage train when there is no compelling reason for it. The college kids he cites? A project with 2 likes. Splitting a Papa Johns pizza? Killer use case. OP seems to be grasping at straws to find concrete reasons for the API to exist. "Drivers, dog walkers, handymen" are mentioned but author doesnt include an actual example - those were all examples supplied by Venmo itself...3 years ago. Who are the developers hes talking about when he says "community that stuck with Venmo"? And finally, unlike Twitter, which has an plethora number of ways to be consumed, searched and experienced that would be better as different apps - Venmo does not. Its just a P2P payment system. The way I see it, Venmo has accomplished the following - 1. Deprecated old features (save resources, reduce complexity) 2. Found new way of building profitable and sustainable relationships w other businesses, rather than just a wild west API. Terrible read, file this under- "How TO Run a Platform"

lacorp 11y ago
I agree that there might not have been concrete reasons for the API to exist (especially considering PayPal has their own API), but shutting down the API with no warning or migration plan was a mean move. Even if the only projects using it are small I still think the developers of them deserve some warning. They still worked hard on those projects and are probably proud of the work they did.
hire_charts 11y ago
The biggest API integration I know of is Splitwise. Their Android app has 500K+ installs and it's probably the same ballpark on iOS, which puts them leagues above a college kid with 2 likes.
- infecto 11y ago
  I always wondered about this app. Have been using it for years and no idea how they stay afloat.
  - cargo8 11y ago
    Because they are owned by Braintree (big payments processor) who is owned by PayPal (who used to be owned by eBay before being spun out to be independent)

saneshark 11y ago

I think Venmo must have come under greater scrutiny. I was recently contacted by someone in their support and compliance team about a charitable donation I made to a Syrian refugee cause. I can't help to think that this particular contribution was flagged for some kind of potential Safe Harbor violation. I gave them the name of the charity and they moved on. It could be that they shut down the api because of the difficulty of doing compliance for these third party apps, after falling under greater scrutiny by government regulation. Or perhaps there was a specific incident that they're trying to get ahead of: -hypothetical- maybe the San Bernardino phone the FBI is trying to crack has Venmo transactions through a third party app that are now under scrutiny.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

andrethegiant 11y ago

Never understood why/how Venmo gained so much popularity in the first place. Using it is not any easier than using PayPal, Square Cash, etc. The only differentiating feature I can think of is its newsfeed of friends' transactions (and it baffles me how anyone finds that interesting). Am I missing something?

saneshark 11y ago
It's a lot easier than Paypal to make an account and send money. Your friends and contacts are already loaded via whatever social network you OAuth[orized] the app through. It is quite literally as easy as typing a friends name and having it auto completed. Typing in a number and hitting send. Paypal might have an app that does something similar and it likely came after Venmo gained popularity. For most of us, who have been using Paypal since the 2000s, it might not seem logical, but Paypal UI experience does seem like an archaic UI experience by comparison even to me.
- TillE 11y ago
  PayPal has had "send money to any email address" since the very beginning, or close to it. Yes the recipient has to then create a PayPal account, but that's usually not very painful.
  - thescriptkiddie 11y ago
    Have you ever made a PayPal account? Sending in scans of two different photo IDs isn't exactly "not very painful".
    - nd1234 11y ago
      yep, works fine ...
ethanbond 11y ago
The fact that everyone has it and people don't believe that Square Cash actually works as well as it does.

fredifrum 11y ago

The article is massively wrong and misleading. The API is NOT being shut down. Current applications can still work, but new ones are no longer being accepted. See this tweet from Venmo: https://twitter.com/venmo/status/703353293326655488 https://twitter.com/venmo/status/703353293326655488 > Don't worry, the Venmo API is still available to existing users, we're just not accepting new beta users for now.

minimaxir 11y ago
Relevant Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/williamready/status/703349746992197632 https://twitter.com/williamready/status/703349746992197632
mclifton 11y ago
I love that they're trying to pin this on Venmo, like it's somehow their problem and not a completely misleading article built on misinformation. > Venmo seems to be confused. According to statement below from Venmo and the message on the developer site, the API is no longer available. But now Venmo tells me the API is still available to existing developers, but not to new ones, which can be a sign of an impending shut down. We’ll update with more info soon once Venmo figures itself out. Parts of this article have been changed for accuracy.

sisk 11y ago

This is extremely misleading. The (beta) Venmo API is no longer accepting new user sign ups. It will continue to work for existing users. This is because Pay with Venmo is already available through Braintree (who acquired Venmo): https://www.braintreepayments.com/features/venmo https://www.braintreepayments.com/features/venmo

nathancahill 11y ago

dang, can you change the title to the updated article title: "Venmo Kills Off New Developer Access To Its API"

Animats 11y ago

On the one hand, it's obnoxious to create an API and encourage developers to use it, then pull the plug. On the other hand, APIs that process payments are a way to steal money, and tougher standards are necessary. Venmo has had security problems and fraud problems. Putting a fourth party in the chain (Venmo itself is a third party; it's not a bank, it's an external ACH transaction generator) makes it tough to allocate blame when something goes wrong.

ppdev 11y ago

paypal apis have improved a lot since https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4485627 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4485627 but these occurrences takes paypal back again. looks like there are multiple developer teams again that are not integrated

ppdev 11y ago