More info on shared tabs!

So I recently used a shared tab for the first time. Amazing!

Except for when it wasn’t. Let me explain.

It did everything that it was meant to, but I think that it could do with a bit more help to the user around the edges. Two examples:

  • when I went to pay, the app asked me for my PIN (which was odd as I usually auth with fingerprint). Then the tab was just settled immediately. I was expecting a nice explanatory screen showing where money was going and why. Or, at the minimum, an “are you sure?” prompt. But no.

  • my friends then messaged me asking why one of them got much money than I owed them and one much less. I pointed out that the app had netted off the money owed between them, but we still spent 30mins over WhatsApp checking the maths.

So, I think what I’d suggest is:

  • Somewhere in the app to show what everyone (currently) owes/is owed and why (hopefully shareable by SMS/WhatsApp etc

  • a better “are you sure” prompt when going to settle, compete with the option to send an explanatory “this is how much you’ll get and why” message

  • a better in-app experience when paying / receiving money from a tab. Maybe a link to tap to see the details, and/or more info in the notes.