It doesn’t take much effort to remain relatively safe on the internet so you don’t have to resort to dedicated hardware just for banking. Don’t install sketchy apps that you don’t need and stop clicking on every link that you see – that’s pretty much it. I found that this basic internet hygiene has a nice side benefit as well – it forms a habit of avoiding superfluous and/or crappy content altogether.

"Relatively" is itself a relative term.

You might be fine having apps as closely tied to your real identity as your banking app on a device that's constantly collecting location and other data about you, but privacy is important to some other people.

I did get a dedicated device specifically for banking apps. I installed GrapheneOS with sandboxes Google Play Services.

The banking apps still won't work. They insist on some signal from a SIM card "for my security," and I'm not willing to put a SIM card in a device that won't ever leave my house.

Yeah, you could get an iPhone or android and use either as a dedicated banking phone.

The banks are creating their own requirements for how to access their app.

Just like some users are creating their own requirements.

Both parties seem to be content to be apart of the problem and blame the other.

I don't understand, what's the point of having a dedicated mobile device to access banking services at home?

Why not a computer?

Because sometimes you want to check banking services on the go. Or you get a notification on your email and want to open the app to check. Or it's much quicker to log in with fingerprint. Or so you can quickly zelle someone on the go. Or because why do you want to go and pull out our computer and turn it on and log in and waste all that time when you have mobile computer in your pocket that's always on and always connected and not in your backpack in the corner somewhere. I know a lot of people who only have a work laptop and use their phone for everything else.

Some banking feature are only accessible via mobile phone - e.g. check deposit.

That's the only one I know of at my bank that's mobile only. (And for how frequently I deposit checks, going to an ATM wouldn't be a big deal.) I realize other banks may have more de-featured web sites.

My bank (or Zelle) removed the ability to send money to an individual from the web interface. You have to use the smartphone app.

A device with required connectivity to network, built in eavesdropping and tracking - that hardly qualifies as dedicated to sensitive and critical actities.

It is even better idea if it is not a smartphone at all but a dedicated simple security device! Smartphones are a constant security risk alone!!

I had multitudes of non-smartphone based security devices in my life, cheap and dedicated small secure things, but those are endangered species now regrettably.