The cash sharing app Venmo just rolled out a new feature that will make it easier for users to pay each other: a QR code that when tapped, allows you to use your phone’s camera to scan another user’s phone for quicker payments.

But first, a word about Venmo: it’s the app on the forefront of a new trend of cash sharing, most popular with college students and young professionals. It’s essentially a virtual wallet for just your debit card.

Before the introduction of QR codes, users added friends either by sending each other initial payments or connecting through phone numbers or email addresses. Users could also search other usernames within the app, much like Snapchat.

Venmo was actually very much like Snapchat in many ways – and now even more so with the introduction of QR codes. Both are aimed at younger people, and both are have high user volumes and dubious futures. It will be interesting to see if they can survive.

With regard to QR codes, Venmo is actually late to the party. In addition to Snapchat with its 2015 introduction of Snapcodes, other messaging apps – Facebook Messenger, Kik, and now Spotify – have introduced QR codes. Even Apple is in on it: iOS 11 will have QR code scanning features.

Maybe this is a product of innovation. Maybe it’s because more and more mobile users prefer interacting online through symbols or talk-to-text features rather than typing. Time will tell.