Switched to HSBC, but now saying I can't have their mobile app as I have Huawei mobile?!

ha-melmahey

Hi all!

After a few false starts I eventually got accepted for the HSBC switch.  Tonight I decided to download the app and start mobile banking with them, though after numermous unsuccessful attempts (where there was no reason given and all info entred correctly) I decided to give their customer service a call. I got a very pleasant advisor who got me to uninstall, reinstall and go through all the process whilst she was on the phone.  Then when that failed she sent out a message to fellow advisors and was told to ask the make of my phone, when I said it was Huawei she said that apparently quite recently HSBC were no longer supporting that brand of phone?!?

She seemed just as shocked as me and apologised.  I pointed out that I had no such difficulties with two other banking apps that I currently use on the same phone and that after reading all the endless bumph sent to me from HSBC, I had no such information passed on the help me make an informed choice of whether to switch to their account or not. 

It's been left with a  submission of a complaint but I'm not holding my breath on it being resolved... anyone else had any similar difficulties due to their make of phone?

TadleyBaggie

According to this post in December:

https://consumer.huawei.com/en/community/details/Cannot-find-HSBC-app-in-Appsgallery/topicId_103043/

there wasn't an HSBC available for some Huawei phones due to Google Play Store not being allowed.

ha-melmahey

Think there may have been difficulties with Huawei not letting Google Play be installed on their phones (early?) last year, but got my phone for Xmas 2020 and had no other issues downloading or using any other apps from Google Play except HSBC. 

Which according to HSBC customer advisor, could have only become a problem since last week.

[Deleted User]

Which store are you downloading the app from?

wiseonesomeofthetime

The HSBC app works perfectly well on my Huawei P30 Pro, through Google Play store.

I think P40 users onwards may have issues.

Even as a P30 owner, I have issues with some apps. For example, Starling app does not support push notifications for transactions on Huawei phones. That's straight from their FAQs.

ha-melmahey

Yeah, as I said it's Google Play I've downloaded from (as with all my apps) through a link on the HSBC site and this is the only one I'm having any issue with.  The customer advisor had seemed baffled until another advisor got back to her to say it had become a recent issue with Hawei mobiles

They have opened a complaints investigation so will see how that eventually goes, but think I'll just keep my eye out for the next switch deal to jump to. If they can't seem to get the basics right, I can see why so many others complain about their service.

st999

I have an Android 10 Go phone and it won't run on that either.

MattMattMattUK

Huawei is effectively under corporate sanctions for a variety of reasons, as such it and devices it produces after the regulations were put into effect are limited and restricted, this includes restrictions on Google Play, restrictions on access to elements of the Android OS etc. HSBC will not be able to "fix" this as nothing is broken.

Lightning360

MattMattMattUK said:

Huawei is effectively under corporate sanctions for a variety of reasons, as such it and devices it produces after the regulations were put into effect are limited and restricted, this includes restrictions on Google Play, restrictions on access to elements of the Android OS etc. HSBC will not be able to "fix" this as nothing is broken.

I think this depends on when the phone was made. If it is new, then you are correct. However, "older" models still have access to all of Google's services (as far as I'm aware).

MovingForwards

I've got play store on my Huawei (p20 Pro), and all Google services, but it's over 2 years old now. 

MattMattMattUK

Lightning360 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

Huawei is effectively under corporate sanctions for a variety of reasons, as such it and devices it produces after the regulations were put into effect are limited and restricted, this includes restrictions on Google Play, restrictions on access to elements of the Android OS etc. HSBC will not be able to "fix" this as nothing is broken.

I think this depends on when the phone was made. If it is new, then you are correct. However, "older" models still have access to all of Google's services (as far as I'm aware).

Less specifically on when the phone was made, but when the chips were made and the phone licensed for network usage, if these were authorised before the regulations were put into place Google is not required to recinde their access, if it happened after there regulations were put into effect then they were required to block access. They are also required to block access to certain APIs, which is why notifications do not work for some people as these require access to Google's updated APIs, which are not covered by the legacy licensing.