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Comment by cons0le | Hacker News Reader

I wonder if banking and messaging apps will work on it in the future

Re: banking, not until adoption of non-Android and non-iOS devices grows. To break this chicken and egg problem, one can get an Android phone and use it exclusively for the banking app, treating it like one of those hardware security keys the banks used to give out in the early 2010s. One used to just leave it at home; maybe take it to work occasionally. Another option is to live like the early 2000s and go to an ATM/bank for all bank things, including account consultation.

Or use the banks website from a computer? Which banks do not allow this?

Many banks in Europe are app-only and don't allow you to log in with a web browser.

Yikes. That sounds tough.

In Germany at least, that's only the ones that advertise being an "app bank". It's the last thing that I want, but they exist.

Ubank in Australia just told me they’re retiring their website in a few months, the app will be the only way to access your account. It’s digital only, so no real world branches either.

> the app will be the only way to access your account

Maybe also on the ATMs of other banks?

This would be enough of a reason for me to immediately move all my savings to another bank. No website, no business.

My bank in Australia has a great desktop website, but you have to do 2FA on your phone to access it. That means even though I prefer to use the desktop site, I still need to be able to run the app too.

The biggest bank in the Netherlands at least requires the app to confirm payments. Although they do still have these paper slips (maybe) for transfers but that cannot be used for ecommerce

ING? You can choose to receive a hardware device instead of using the app.

> Although they do still have these paper slips (maybe) for transfers

Are you describing checks?

Written (on paper) transfer orders. You fill them out at home and throw them into a special mailbox at the bank. Old people still use them, I even used them occasionally 20 years ago or so because they sometimes came with invoices, pre-filled with receiver details, so they were about as convenient as online transfer.

> The biggest bank in the Netherlands at least requires the app to confirm payments

This is (I believe) part of PSD2, so basically all EZ banks require this now. Hilariously enough, they still have absurdly weak passwords but apparently they meet security requirements by forcing you to confirm stuff on your phone.

Ubuntu touch has an Android compatibility layer

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