Zelle Shuts Down Standalone App, Pushing Millions to Rely on Bank Access for Transfers

Millions of users who depend on Zelle for quick and easy money transfers are waking up to major changes. The popular digital payment service has officially pulled the plug on its standalone app.

Zelle, which boasts over 150 million users across the U.S., confirmed the change was effective as of Tuesday, following a months-long warning that the app would sunset payment services on October 31, 2024.

While the decision might sound like a massive shift, Zelle insists that only a small fraction, about two percent, of transactions actually took place through the standalone app. The vast majority of users access Zelle’s features directly through their bank’s mobile apps, which is precisely why the company made the decision to retire its own.

“Most customers already use Zelle through their financial institution’s app,” the company explained. “We’re focusing our efforts on enhancing that experience.”

If you’ve been using Zelle’s app to send or receive money, there’s no need to panic, but you will need to link up with a partner bank or credit union that supports the service to continue using it.