Appworthy
Hard to cancel
2 independent sources agreeHard to cancel: raised by 5 distinct reviewers (about 1 in 1,239 reviews we read)
Definition
Cancelling the subscription is blocked, hidden, multi-step, or simply does not take effect.
PayPal - Pay, Send, Save
PayPal is a smart way to securely shop in-store and online, earn rewards poin…
PayPal MobileGoogle Play rating4.2★3.7M ratings
PriceFreeListed price
Age4+Store age rating
CategoryFinance
DeveloperPayPal Mobile
What we found
Full reportSerious warnings 1 confirmed warning, and users report 3 more things. Checked: 6,195 reviews, the Android app’s code, the store listing and the privacy label.
Money
- Free to download.
- Hard to cancelConfirmed
- 50 users report unexpected chargesNot confirmed · about 1 in 124 reviews we read
Ads
Privacy
From our automated analysis, 29 Oct 2026. Every label links to its evidence in the full report below.
This analysis describes version 10.17.0 of the app (the version number recorded inside the package we inspected), analyzed 2026-10-29 .
The store currently lists version 10.19.0, updated 2026-10-24.
The app has been updated since this analysis. The findings on this page describe version 10.17.0, not the version now listed on the store.
The developer’s release notes for the newer versions, where we hold them, are in Versions and dates analysed.
Preview
Store screenshots supplied by the developer.
About this app
PayPal is a smart way to securely shop in-store and online, earn rewards points on brands you love, send money and much more.
SHOP WITH PURCHASE PROTECTION
Get built-in protection before and after you buy, with support when something doesn't go as planned.
*PayPal Purchase Protection is available on eligible transactions.
See terms and limitations: https://www.paypal.com/us/legalhub/paypal/buyer-protection
EARN POINTS ON EVERYDAY PURCHASES WITH THE PAYPAL DEBIT CARD
Choose a monthly category and earn 5% back in rewards points on up to $1000 spend/month. Terms apply: http://paypal.com/rewardspal
No monthly fees.
The PayPal Debit Mastercard® is issued by The Bancorp Bank N.A. ("The Bancorp"), pursuant to a license by Mastercard International Incorporated and may be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted.…
From the developer’s store description.
For developers and the curious
The full report
The evidence, sources, measurements and versions behind every label above.
Findings and evidence
Things to watch for 1
Findings that met the published evidence standard.
Open evidence
Positives 1
Specific evidence of a useful property, within the stated scope.
Developer says data deletion can be requested
MeasuredThe developer's store data-safety disclosure states that data deletion can be requested; we have not seen a deletion control in the app's own text
Definition
The developer's data-safety disclosure on the store states that users can request deletion of their data, or the app's own text offers a way to delete the account. This restates what the developer declares; it is not a test of whether deletion works. Apple publishes no equivalent disclosure, so on an Apple-only listing only the app's own text can support it.
One source only — shown, not confirmed 8
Open observations that have not cleared the evidence bar.
Aggressive ad load
One source onlyAggressive ad load: raised by 69 distinct reviewers (about 1 in 90 reviews we read)
This observation has not cleared the required evidence standard.
Definition
Advertising volume or placement that interrupts normal use: ads between every action, unskippable or forced full-screen ads.
How we know
Trial converts to a charge
One source onlyThe app's own text says: "Add or update a card to set up a way to pay."
This observation has not cleared the required evidence standard.
Definition
The free trial demands a payment method up front and/or rolls into a paid subscription with no usable warning.
How we know
Package artefact
sha256:d20c496e44325fb1c9002b8b217c599fb2a004b84c4e2af2935cea40f2fe2174Tracking and data collection concerns
One source onlyData & privacy concerns: raised by 8 distinct reviewers (about 1 in 774 reviews we read)
This observation has not cleared the required evidence standard.
Definition
The app ships session-recording or a wide tracking stack, holds permissions that read personal data, or is reported by users to sell, leak or over-collect it. The evidence line says which of those was observed.
How we know
Pay to progress
One source onlyThe app's own text says: "Each person you add will get their own card that will be mailed to your billing address."
This observation has not cleared the required evidence standard.
Definition
Advancement or competition is gated behind spending money rather than playing.
How we know
Package artefact
sha256:d20c496e44325fb1c9002b8b217c599fb2a004b84c4e2af2935cea40f2fe2174Reports of unexpected charges
One source onlySurprise charges: raised by 50 distinct reviewers (about 1 in 124 reviews we read)
This observation has not cleared the required evidence standard.
Definition
A large number of reviewers report being charged when they did not expect it — including being charged after cancelling during a free trial, or when a trial turned into a paid plan without warning. We cannot see anyone's billing, so this is published as an attributed user report: what reviewers say, and how many of them said it.
How we know
Countdown-timer purchase pressure
One source onlyDeadline pressure in the app's own copy: "Limited time offer"
This observation has not cleared the required evidence standard.
Definition
The app's own purchase copy attaches a deadline to buying — a countdown, 'offer ends in', 'limited time' — or ships a countdown view on a purchase-screen layout.
How we know
Package artefact
sha256:d20c496e44325fb1c9002b8b217c599fb2a004b84c4e2af2935cea40f2fe2174Usable without an account
One source onlyThe app's own text says: "Center the QR and hold still. We'll take the photo for you."
This observation has not cleared the required evidence standard.
Definition
The app's own screens offer a way past sign-up — guest access, skipping, or browsing before registering — rather than gating the product behind an account. The store's privacy disclosure is checked alongside it: that disclosure is self-reported, so it corroborates this credit rather than establishing it.
How we know
Package artefact
sha256:d20c496e44325fb1c9002b8b217c599fb2a004b84c4e2af2935cea40f2fe2174Works offline
One source onlyThe app's own text says: "Any pending transactions will still be processed after it's removed. For any recurring payments linked to this bank, we'll use another way to pay from your wallet."
This observation has not cleared the required evidence standard.
Definition
The app's own copy describes working without a connection — offline mode, downloading for offline use, or content saved for later. Shown because readers filter on it; it is a feature, not a fairness property, and never counts for or against an app.
How we know
Package artefact
sha256:d20c496e44325fb1c9002b8b217c599fb2a004b84c4e2af2935cea40f2fe2174What reviewers report
6,195 reviews read for this analysis. Each observation keeps the sample and store it was based on.
Hard to cancel
Published findingNo sampled quote is attached to this observation.
Aggressive ad load
Shown, not confirmedI can't use it to pay PayPal Smart Connect because it doesn't offer that option. Android 👎 and additionally, the wallet is not visible on the home page I have to do everything on a computer I decided to uninstall it, it doesn't make…
too many ads of this
It used to be a great app, now it's all ads and useless. I received a Pay with PayPal invoice and the only way to pay it on my phone was to uninstall the app so I could use the web UI instead. don't waste your time with the app, it…
Tracking and data collection concerns
Shown, not confirmedthe app updated and now I can't log In. I can log in from the browser but not the app..my mom's is fine..I'm assuming a data breach..? I've Uninstalled and re installed and still nothing it just freezes
Reports of unexpected charges
Shown, not confirmedI've had an issue with withdrawing my money for months, and I am not given a straightforward answer to if I am restricted or the app just has problems.It won't let me link my bank account and my debit card that is linked isn't accepted…
Can't send cash, can't transfer to bank, can only keep stealing and holding your money. all they've done is change the way the app looks but its still useless and dirtier than ever. they send statements with currency conversions rates…
this is the worst app venmo is better than this this app locked me out for no reason everything is honest on my account and they blocked me and stole my money if you ask me pay pal is outdated and a scam that's way they are on every play…
A sampled review illustrates one person’s experience. It does not establish a finding on its own.
Measurements
“Not assessed” means we could not measure it. It is never a zero and never a pass.
From store data and reviews
Developer replies to reviews
Replies to fewer than 1 review in 20
Price in the store description
The store description lists a price and how often it bills
Cancelling, in the store description
The store description doesn’t say how to cancel (most don’t)
Themes reported by reviewers
3 or more themes reported
Counted from the reviews we have read for this app. "No theme reported" means no theme reached our reporting threshold — it is not a finding that nothing is wrong with this app, and we do not say it is.
Five-star share of ratings
65–79% five-star
Arithmetic on the stores' own published rating counts. It says nothing about why the ratings fall where they do.
In the app package we scanned
Android package 10.17.0, scanned 20 Oct 2026. These describe that package, not the current store version.
Sensitive permissions
6 or more requested
Counted against a fixed list of eighteen sensitive Android permissions: sixteen runtime permissions, among them location, camera, microphone, contacts and SMS, and two the user must switch on in system settings, drawing over other apps and usage access. Requesting one is not itself a finding.
Analytics or tracking SDKs in the scanned package
3 or more found
Advertising SDKs in the scanned package
None found
Counted as distinct SDKs in the package we scanned. One mediation bundle can contribute several, so this is not a count of advertisers.
How we know
Supporting measurements: not a complete list of possible harms or positives. Measurement vocabulary 1.4 · how these are measured
Versions and dates analysed
This analysis describes version 10.17.0 of the app (the version number recorded inside the package we inspected), analyzed 2026-10-29 .
The store currently lists version 10.19.0, updated 2026-10-24.
The app has been updated since this analysis. The findings on this page describe version 10.17.0, not the version now listed on the store.
Release notes for the newer versions, in the developer’s own words:
Version 10.19.0 · 2026-10-24
No release notes were provided for this version.
Store update history
Each store’s release notes, as the developer wrote them. They are the developer’s words, not ours.
Google Play
Version 10.19.0 · 2026-10-24
No release notes were provided for this version.
Version 10.18.0 · 2026-10-24
No release notes were provided for this version.
Assessment record
- Status
- Automated analysis
- App identifier
paypal-google-com-paypal-android-p2pmobile- Assessment date
- 29 Oct 2026
- Sources used
- 6 independent signals: user reviews, SDKs in the app package, the app's own on-screen text, the app manifest, the store listing and the store privacy disclosure
- Reviews read
- 6,195
- Package examined
- Android · 10.17.0 · scanned 20 Oct 2026
- Human inspection
- Not completed
Assessed 2026-10-29 from 6,195 user reviews, the app's package, the store listing and its privacy label.
How we know
- Measurement vocabulary
- 1.4
How this page was produced
Analyzed 2026-10-29 Version analyzed: 10.17.06 independent signals6,195 reviews scannedConfidence: MediumNot human-reviewedVocabulary v1.14Methodology v1.3
Signals run: user reviews, SDKs in the app package, the app's own on-screen text, the app manifest, the store listing and the store privacy disclosure.
Store facts
What the stores publish. Store ratings are the stores’ numbers, not Appworthy’s, and are never averaged across stores.
Google Play
- Store rating
- 4.20 ★ · 3,743,505 ratings
- Version
- 10.19.0
- Updated
- 24 Oct 2026
- Price
- Free
- Age rating
- 4+
- Size
- Not supplied
- Developer
- PayPal Mobile
- Category
- Finance
- Listing price
- Free
No itemized purchase list is available for this listing.
Method and limits
How the automated analysis works
This assessment is produced automatically. Six independent signals are read — user reviews, SDKs in the app package, the app's own on-screen text, the app manifest, the store listing and the store privacy disclosure — and each candidate finding is filed under the sources that support it.
No charge stands on one kind of evidence — with one published exception. A finding is either a measured fact that anyone can reproduce (an ad SDK is in the package; every recurring plan the store lists is named as weekly, the term read from the purchase names, with a list cut off at the store’s 10-item maximum not assessed; the privacy label omits a tracker we can see), or it is an interpretation — and an interpretation needs independent sources to agree before it reaches the catch list. The exception is a harm only users can see: a charge may publish from reviews alone, as “Reported by N users”, once enough reviewers raise it to clear that charge’s own published bar. That agreement rule is what replaced the human reviewer, not a model’s confidence.
There is no overall score, on purpose. A 0–99 number was published here until 2026-09-15. It was withdrawn because it discriminated too weakly to be the instrument — 44.7% of every pair of apps tied — and because a single number is a verdict where a count is an observation. What publishes instead is a row of measurements, each of which says what was counted and, where we could not look, says that instead.
Findings under One source only are real reports we do not stand behind as findings. They are shown because withholding them entirely would hide a genuine complaint, and labelled because publishing them as charges would be an accusation off a single source.
Limits of this report
- A package scan is static. It identifies code and text in one Android build. It does not measure a live ad session, test a deletion request, or count the steps needed to cancel.
- Reviews keep their sample. A review-only charge shows distinct reviewers, the share and the sample size, and is published only once it clears that label’s published threshold. Calibration labels are machine-drafted and not yet confirmed by a person.
- Not assessed is a state. It is never a zero and never a pass.
- A missing label is not a clean bill of health. It means the evidence did not support one, not that the app is problem-free.
Not yet human-reviewed. A hands-on test can confirm or contradict a finding and adds its own measurements; it does not change a measurement row. Hands-on inspections are not yet open.
Request a correction
Write to [email protected], or use the form. Name the finding, the app version and the evidence that needs correcting. Factual corrections are free and never depend on buying anything.