The big difference between a dedicated banking app and the one in the browser is permissions.

It sends me notifications when money arrives or is spent. Scanning a QR code to pay for something is much less clunky than doing the same in a browser. And it integrates into my phone authentication system so I only need to scan my fingerprint to open the app instead of remembering a password and waiting for a one-time code.

What do I do on the app? I check the balance on my accounts, I move money between my accounts to get more interest, I pay for my kid's remedial classes, I pay my trainer, I scan QR codes to pay online when the shop provides this payment option so I don't have to type in my card details, I check my virtual card details when I do have to enter them, I buy and sell stocks.

> It sends me notifications when money arrives or is spent. Scanning a QR code to pay for something is much less clunky than doing the same in a browser. And it integrates into my phone authentication system so I only need to scan my fingerprint to open the app instead of remembering a password and waiting for a one-time code.

All this is possible in browser nowadays. And scanning QR codes doesn’t have to be clunky – it’s just that developers are sloppy.

In the EU you are more and more required to use a phone to use your bank account. SMS TANs and TAN lists are deprecated, photoTAN is often unsupported (and clunky of course) and going to the bank is still possible, but cumbersome (and there are fewer and fewer bank branches every year).

FOr 20€ I got a TAN generator from my bank, a small device with a simple camera that scans QR codes on the banking website and presents me TANs to verify. So no matter PC or smartphone, I like that solution.

That's photoTAN yes. Some major banks still have it. These are often bank-specific though so you can't reuse the devices...

Just pointed out a issue that may help deciding.. Didn't know it's a controversial point to make going by the negative points :-(

To each his own.

Probably because you said "many", when it's just those in one relatively small country

Ha ok. Thanks.. Have read about other places but never mind.. Point taken

i never downvote on this site. And i apologize if this feels like i singled you out specifically; this is just something i've been noticing a lot of on HN the past few weeks, especially as it pertains to the advanced data protection apple stuff in UK, the firefox EULA change (or whatever it was) that had everyone saying it doesn't work with their banking sites, etc.

it's all so reminiscent of "you must use IE6 to access this site"

No issues.. Thanks..

> what are all of you doing on these banking apps?

I don't carry a wallet, my banking app supports NFC payments.

There’s also Google Wallet, née Google Pay, née Google Wallet. It doesn’t like rooted devices either, but seems to be okay with apps installed from third party stores.

> There’s also Google Wallet, née Google Pay, née Google Wallet.

I'm pretty sure you can only be born once.

I guess it could be "Google Wallet, né Google Wallet, rené Google Pay".

> I'm pretty sure you can only be born once.

Speak for yourself! Google's products are eternally trying to escape Samsara through a product cycle of death and (sometimes) rebirth.

We sell them our asses, don't you? But seriously, I have both - other sources AND banking apps on my phone.

I've been lucky so far to have banks that don't block my rooted phone, but that is not the case for everyone. With an increasing number of "modern" banks that rely on an app instead of a website as primary interface this could get worse in the future.