Jake Peterson

Jake Peterson Senior Technology Editor

Experience

Jake Peterson is Lifehacker’s Tech Editor, and has been covering tech news and how-tos for nearly a decade. His team covers all things technology, including AI, smartphones, computers, game consoles, and subscriptions.

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May 11, 2026

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Key Takeaways

Venmo is rolling out a new design for its mobile app that changes quite a bit about its appearance.

But the biggest (and best) change is that new users will have their accounts set to private by default.

As such, new users will need to go out of their way to share transactions on the Venmo feed.

Existing users can set their accounts to private at any time.

Table of Contents

For me, Venmo has always been the app to settle quick debts. Someone puts their card down at dinner, and I Venmo them my share; I covered costs on a trip, and the group Venmos me in return.…