They more and more force you into 2FA through banking app

Every bank i’ve used (2, so ymmv) allowed 2fa using a totp app, they just don’t make that choice obvious you have to dig around in the settings

Here in SE Asia (in my country at least) you're lucky if they even offer you SMS 2FA (and even then, only for cash withdrawal from ATMs), because otherwise its just using PIN or biometrics without any kind of second factor auth.

In SE Asia, most banks I've used no longer offer any services other than through their app.

What about WhatsApp?

I don't follow.. are you asking if WhatsApp offers some alternative to banking services? It doesn't.

> are you asking if WhatsApp offers some alternative to banking services? It doesn't

Indian banks provide their full suite of services through WhatsApp. I have opened and closed accounts, completed KYC and authorised transfers through it.

UBS bank mandates their "Secure Access" app as second factor even when logging in from a desktop. They used to allow the smart card reader for existing customers that had it as a work around for a few years but they disabled that.

Also many websites are making it remarkably hard to not use the app if they even remotely sense you're not on an actual PC. FB and LinkedIn aren't banks but prime examples.

Good reason to stop using that bank.

I like my credit union.

Oh, and of course the stock app will refuse to run on rooted (or sometimes even just not widely used) phones.

Then don't be a sheep and don't use Facebook or LinkedIn. They are notorious mass surveillance networks.

Monzo bank in the UK doesn't have a web access (apart from very basic page where you can block your card and do nothing else, not even see your balance). They also retired support for older Android phones, so if you happen to use it on an old phone, you are out of banking. I, for security, refuse to install bank apps on my phone that I carry, but I have them on a separate phone that I have in safe place.

To be clear I'm not saying that alternatives don't exist now. But it's a worrying trend that big businesses, and even governments in some cases, are moving away from such alternatives being available. Look for example at the proposed age verification scheme in the EU, where they don't plan to make a version you can use on a desktop (and even for mobile devices require you use a vendor-attested device). Sure, right now it's just for looking at porn. But it seems to me that once that settles, it won't be long (a decade or two) before you start to see government IDs require a similar mobile app. That's the kind of thing I fear happening soon.

I'm starting to see banks retire their web sites and push the app. It's likely that in 5 years most banks will only offer apps.