Atom Bank App

drlabman

The app, or your account, whatever, used to go dormant if not used for a while. I opened my first account some years ago and didn't log in via the app for months afterwards - well, you wouldn't, would you, if it's a 1year fixed rate account? What would be the point? Anyway, I ended up having to call them up. If I remember correctly, they had to re-activate it but I also needed to force quit the app in order for it to work again (on an iPhone, by double press the home button and swiping up on the Atom app).

Arthurarthur52

We are struggling as well. Cannot face log in with a apple 11. Getting annoying now as we saved monthly or bi monthly so accounts are closing every week and transferring into the vault and we cannot touch it. Luckily less than £2k but we could do with it now.

colsten

AnotherJoe wrote: »

Have you updated the app to the latest version? I've previously found that rather than tell you you have an out of date app, it gives you a error with no meaningful message

I definitely have the new app. Well, I had, because I have deleted it now since I don't have any money in there anyway.

AnotherJoe

gm0 wrote: »

I had a recent similar experience with Revolut.

As a consequence their account closure processes also left a great deal to be desired.

I have an even older (premium phone) - Galaxy Note3. The OTA Android update for that is no good one of the daft versions. And is very old anyway. Rooting is not the way to go either now that more things check for it. The bottom line is that App Only sucks for the customer.

Banks just don't get to insist we buy new phones. Junk working hardware and shell out for new. I don't think so. By all means limit the number of old versions you support (cost). Just have a web interface and those of us who don't buy new phones every 20 minutes will use that.

Website - it doesn't have to be that fancy. One channel (which you can and likely will break with software updates) is a business continuity fail - particularly if there is no other route in.

Basically these bstards need to hear the complaining loud and clear that App only is rubbish and will drive away customers. So pile on the complaints.

Most people don't care and have new phones often enough so a number of these outfits will shrug and move on.

Nonetheless a big slow handclap for Revolut and Atom . . .oh and please do tell me again about your sustainability greenwashing initiative ?

I'm a long time tech user and advocate ...... and you are bang on,
It's simply unacceptable unrealistic and frankly ridiculous to expect people to be buying a new phone every couple of years which is what this policy boils down to. Especially with Android where the release Policy is fragmented and random.
They need to have a web interface as well, basic as they like, or they will find users moving away. I'm hardly going to buy a new phone just to get an extra 0.05%.

techwatcher

Arthurarthur52 wrote: »

We are struggling as well. Cannot face log in with a apple 11. Getting annoying now as we saved monthly or bi monthly so accounts are closing every week and transferring into the vault and we cannot touch it. Luckily less than £2k but we could do with it now.

Any particular reason why you haven't upgraded from iOS11? Atom supports iOS 13 which supports iPhones back as far as iPhone 6s and iOS12 goes back as far as 5s.

techwatcher

gm0 wrote: »

I had a recent similar experience with Revolut.

As a consequence their account closure processes also left a great deal to be desired.

I have an even older (premium phone) - Galaxy Note3. The OTA Android update for that is no good one of the daft versions. And is very old anyway. Rooting is not the way to go either now that more things check for it. The bottom line is that App Only sucks for the customer.

Banks just don't get to insist we buy new phones. Junk working hardware and shell out for new. I don't think so. By all means limit the number of old versions you support (cost). Just have a web interface and those of us who don't buy new phones every 20 minutes will use that.

Website - it doesn't have to be that fancy. One channel (which you can and likely will break with software updates) is a business continuity fail - particularly if there is no other route in.

Basically these bstards need to hear the complaining loud and clear that App only is rubbish and will drive away customers. So pile on the complaints.

Most people don't care and have new phones often enough so a number of these outfits will shrug and move on.

Nonetheless a big slow handclap for Revolut and Atom . . .oh and please do tell me again about your sustainability greenwashing initiative ?

You make some good points, however it is common in the IT game to to support version n and n-1, that is the current and immediately previous version of software. As you say there is a cost associated with supporting previous versions and where should an organisation draw the line...?

There are also not (inconsiderable costs) associated with setting up and managing even a basic banking website. Whilst it would solve the 'old device / OS' problem I suspect the costs involved would result in lower interest rates being offered.

You're right in that most change their phones often enough for it not to be an issue for them. Whether Atom cares about the minority of customers affected remains to be seen.

AnotherJoe

techwatcher said:

Arthurarthur52 wrote: »

We are struggling as well. Cannot face log in with a apple 11. Getting annoying now as we saved monthly or bi monthly so accounts are closing every week and transferring into the vault and we cannot touch it. Luckily less than £2k but we could do with it now.

Any particular reason why you haven't upgraded from iOS11? Atom supports iOS 13 which supports iPhones back as far as iPhone 6s and iOS12 goes back as far as 5s.

OP posted "an" Apple 11. eg latest phone.

clowning

I have an iPhone 11 plus, updated today to iOS 13.3.1, and no problem logging onto Atom using Face ID.

gm0

Techwatcher -  We shall have to agree to disagree.  N-1 or 2 software support is not my point - actually I'm fine with a lowish limit.
I just don't think pitching a rolling subset of customers into a problem with account access or a specific feature - or indeed a large portion of your customers when you have a snafu with a channel app update and it's the only channel is acceptable service.  End of.  Calling it out as a bad practice to be discouraged. Single point of failure bad. Single channel bad.  Therefore App only bad (as the client portion is a SPOF).  Bad Architect (sorry Product Owner (my grey roots are showing)). Naughty step !  Putting the support method you listen to inside the (failed) app they can't get to work just rubs salt in the customers wound.  It's a business decision for them as to what to offer and a customer decision for us to opt in or not to this type of thing.

I wouldn't use these circuses for anything remotely critical - current account receiving salary / paying my mortgage. 
As a prepaid holiday money card (one of several) fair enough perhaps.  An account to use trading where there is identity and fraud risk separated out. Sure.  But core family bank or my business banking.  A highly amusing idea but NO. 
Other people with a different operational risk appetite can happily draw different conclusions and fill their boots.

While UK current account banking remains free at the point of use I can't really see why anybody doesn't have their individual and joint accounts at different institutions. You won't be as horribly inconvenienced by an outage should there be one (RBS, TSB etc.).

You can probably tell I am not buying the impact on savings rates argument.  I agree there is a cost (to maintain support against more old phone versions (which is a less good idea I would agree) or a web site front end to the same back end transactions (a better idea as it mitigates the BC issues raised). The core transaction platform and scaleable HA infrastructure already has to be there).  I am just saying there needs to be more than one channel and support can't be embedded wholly in one of them.  More accessible to more customers in more circumstances including the unforeseen. Nothing is 100%.

Identity management can doubtless be a problem - but tbh if it is fundametally hard to add a web channel then you got your data model wrong for the core platform and app as there will be life after "apps" as we know them today.  Another channel will arrive sometime....

Ocelot

I tried logging in yesterday as a 3 yr fixed rate bond is maturing. It told me to update the app, but Google play says not compatible with your device. I phoned them up and they said  you need Android 8 or IOS 11. My phone won't support anything above Android v6, and tablet v7, so they said you can't open another account with us and they'll transfer the money to my bank account.

It seems strange they are prepared to lose existing customers (with tens of thousands in their account).