Zelle, a popular money transfer service, has officially shut down its standalone app, effective Tuesday. However, customers will still be able to use Zelle through their banking institution’s mobile app or website, as the service continues to operate through financial institutions.
The announcement about the app’s closure was made late last year, with Zelle informing customers that the service would remain accessible via their banks. In a release from October 2024, Zelle explained that the standalone app was no longer necessary due to the growing adoption of the service by banks and credit unions.
“When Zelle first launched, we also created a standalone Zelle-branded app for consumers whose banks or credit unions had not yet joined the network. With the strong growth of adoption by banks and credit unions, we now see just ~2% of transactions on the standalone app. As a result of our growth, and because most people are now using Zelle in their financial institution’s mobile app or website, we are making a change to the Zelle standalone app,” the release stated. “Over the next few months, we will be phasing out the ability to enroll and transact within the standalone app. As we do that, we are encouraging those who use the standalone app to instead start using Zelle through a participating bank or credit union.”
The company added that users who had been relying on the standalone app would need to re-enroll through their bank’s mobile app to continue using the service. Despite the shutdown of the app, Zelle will continue to be available for transfers through more than 2,200 participating banks and credit unions.
The company also stated that the standalone app would now serve as a resource for consumer education, particularly focused on preventing scams and fraud. Additionally, it will provide a list of the more than 2,200 banks and credit unions that offer Zelle, so users can verify whether their financial institution is part of the network.
Customers can check if their bank supports the platform by visiting the official website or contacting their bank directly.
