A look into what the revamped PayPal app offers its customers

One of the most prominent digital payment solutions in the world, PayPal is altering its mobile application platform to make it better. This is in a bid to stay relevant while keeping up with newcomers and competitors in the game; such as the bank owned Zelle.

The most noticeable change and core features of the new update are the presence of only the sending and receiving icon on the home screen. Other features like the donate, offers, and order ahead are embedded under a new “More” menu icon. There is a whole lot of difference as the new home screen now has a little cluster and looks simple.

Previous updates over the years have been busy with the addition of extra features to the home screen of the PayPal app, which has sucked out the experience of seamless and straightforward transaction the platform is known for. 

A typical scenario is the “invest with Acorn” icon after the acquisition of a stake in the investment mobile application platform. Another example is the “Order Ahead” feature that PayPal has been pushing on their home screen for years. All these features have been relegated to the background and are not visible on the home screen with the revamped mobile app.

New era, new app…PayPal is revamping to a simple home screen

To think that the absence of all those extra features will make the sending and receiving money button have more space cum a more prominent icon; this is not the case. They are now smaller and are centrally located on the home screen with a big and greenish-blue banner. All these new changes plus the buttons relocated to the bottom of the app.

A change to a more familiar color scheme of the PayPal brand (dark-blue and white) makes the newly relocated button more visible. With the available space dedicated to a new personalized notification section, users of the mobile app can now see alerts of money received or payment request made in big, blue card that can be swiped horizontally. Below the notification is a strip of profile icon that contains names of families, friends, and businesses that you have recently sent money to. Using this icon makes it easier to send money on the regular to those on your list.

Another noticeable feature is the PayPal balance that is located below the strip profile icon. Other additional features such as the notifications and settings can be accessed with a small button on top of the screen.

Overall, I feel this new mobile application is in line with the PayPal’s brand and a deviation from the previous modernized update that possesses a light icon, small font, and off-brand color combinations. The revamped mobile application will roll out on Android in Australia and Italy first, while users from the United States and other markets worldwide will get theirs later; followed by a release on iOS devices.