Smart phones and not feeling comfy with apps & getting banking apps

diystarter7

Hi
I'm pretty good on the web but never relly been a mobile phone many
Recently get a refurb iphone 11 that was a few months old - pleased with it
prevoius phone was given to me by kids years ago ipnoe four - got that around 8/9 years ago

I used my wifes phones an android from 2017 and use our Ring and another alarm app

I use internet banking

We are wiht barclay prem banking and for whatever reason we/I have quiet a few k's lying about in there for the lat 10 years or so and always have 

My question - for someone like me that is struggling to get the hang of mobile phones other than to make one call and get one call
and surf the net and not sure what in the phone is switched on or off - would a banking appy be for me and what are the security risks


I feel very confident reusing online banking and very aware of scams etc and would never trust a text etc for a pretend bank etc as I
would call the nuber i have for the bank and what was not sent. So I'm ok online

Therefore as we hold quite a bit in our current account and not really sure re apps is it for me?

How does an app differ from onlie as online we/i use the pin reader and these days the person/business you are sending money to,
matches their name so less of a chance to send it to the wrong person etc

Any ideas, please?

I've not asked our kids yet and it was our kids about 5 years ago that pushed me online banking, not looked back since.

We've had the internet before most had it around 1992 as one of our children was into computers

Apps, never really understood the workings and secuirt

(ps - we also have around the home various alex and google devices - but none via the apps)

Thnaks

flaneurs_lobster

Why not open an app-only bank account (Monzo, Starling, Kroo) and load it up with a few quid. Play around just to get the feel of how things like fingerprint/face logins work, how things look on a smaller screen and so on. 

If that works out OK then think how Barclay's app might be useful.

J_B

flaneurs_lobster said:

Why not open an app-only bank account (Monzo, Starling, Kroo) and load it up with a few quid. Play around just to get the feel of how things like fingerprint/face logins work, how things look on a smaller screen and so on. 

If that works out OK then think how Barclay's app might be useful.

Maybe not Kroo - not the most intuitive IMHO

diystarter7

Thnaks guys but I'd like to stick with the bank we are with ie Barclauys

Thinking about it, may give them a call in a day or two and ask them questions re safety/secuirty etc

All help appreciated

Thnaks

elsien

It’s generally considered a good idea to have a second account, in case you are locked out of the first one for some reason.
Here is why. 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6432389/barclays-account-under-review#latest

 There been other threads  on here where there has been far less reason as to why bank accounts have been frozen. Just something that triggered the banks internal systems for some reason, even when the account holder has done nothing wrong.

chrisw

Banking apps on an iPhone are extremely secure, probably a lot more so than using a web browser.

They also tend to be cut down versions of the web accounts and are, in my opinion, much easier to use. 

The biggest risks are the human element - phishing, texts, etc, so as long as you're clued up on these, any security risks will be minimal.

diystarter7

chrisw said:

Banking apps on an iPhone are extremely secure, probably a lot more so than using a web browser.

They also tend to be cut down versions of the web accounts and are, in my opinion, much easier to use. 

The biggest risks are the human element - phishing, texts, etc, so as long as you're clued up on these, any security risks will be minimal.

Hi

Makes sense and as I have posted, I can confirm I'm pretty hot on stuff that does not look right so I check

I will call barclays by Friday then consult kids -  We alos need to possibly take a lot of money out of the current account and keep it aron 10k mark. I have asked the bank before as they try to get me/us put our money into something else if it was not as safe as none current accounts, they said it was safe.

I was worried re phone hacking - but I guess the iPhone is more secoure than my iPhone as I'm using an old windows system on the laptop


I will update

Thnaks

droopsnoot

I use the Barclays app on an iPhone 6 and to open it I have it set to use fingerprint ID, and every so often it asks for a PIN which is not the same as your normal debit card PIN - it's longer. There are things you can't do on it which I believe are for security reasons, but I forget what they are - the lack of them hasn't caused me a problem.

The most annoying thing for me is that I have several accounts and have named them in online banking, but the names don't come across into the app, so it can look at first glance as if you're in someone else's accounts. You can name them inside the app, though. If you have a Barclays credit card, you can look at that in the app as well. I do find it quite useful if I'm waiting for a payment, it's quicker to check in the app than in the desktop OLB.

diystarter7

droopsnoot said:

I use the Barclays app on an iPhone 6 and to open it I have it set to use fingerprint ID, and every so often it asks for a PIN which is not the same as your normal debit card PIN - it's longer. There are things you can't do on it which I believe are for security reasons, but I forget what they are - the lack of them hasn't caused me a problem.

The most annoying thing for me is that I have several accounts and have named them in online banking, but the names don't come across into the app, so it can look at first glance as if you're in someone else's accounts. You can name them inside the app, though. If you have a Barclays credit card, you can look at that in the app as well. I do find it quite useful if I'm waiting for a payment, it's quicker to check in the app than in the desktop OLB.

Hi
Thnaks

re the iphone 11 i got the other day - its got facial recognition and I was staggered/surprised and were at one of our kids and told them and they said, welcome to the 21st century - re the firngerprint, incredibe

You post has made me think, we have joint account and i will ask about that as well

From what you guys have said it seems more secure than the lappy and pin reader

Thnaks

tacpot12

One thing I have become aware of recently relating to iPhones is that owners are being targeted by theives who try to look over your shoulder as you unlock your iPhone. If you are set-up to use a PIN to unlock your iPhone they will memorise the PIN, and then grab your phone, if you unlock it with a fingerprint they will just grab the phone and run off with it and hope they don't accidentally hit the power button as they grab it.  

As soon as they are out of sight, they change the password on your Apple ID account. This locks you out of the account. They then turn off the Find my phone feature, which you cannot activate because you are locked out of your Apple ID.

Then they use any apps that don't have PIN numbers, such as Amazon, to order stuff using your stored cards. Amazon app allows them to enter a new deliverry address. 

They also use the in-built password store to access websites, which might include online banking websites, and in some cases have emptied bank accounts of thousands of pounds.

As part of me reviewing my security on my phone, I have installed a different Two-Factor Authenticator. I was using the Google Authenticator, but this is unlocked if you have a PIN number to unlock your iPhone. I am using "2FAS Auth" as my auhenticaor now as this generates all the same codes using the same algorithm as the Google & Microsoft Authenticators, but allows you to set a unique PIN like on a banking app, and only that PIP will unlock it. It also allows you to backup your 2FA tokens so that you can restore them if your phone is stolen. I have backed them up to dropbox, and then deleted the Dropbox app from my phone. I will reinstall the app if I add another 2FA token and will re-backup the tokens. 

The solutions are: 

1. Be vigilant when using your phone in public. 
2. Don't let anyone see you enter your iPhone pin number
3. Delete any passwords that are stored on iPhone for use in web browsers 
4. Stop using any Apps that are unlocked if your iPhone is unlocked. I think Apple Pay may be one of these. I don't use it, so I can't be sure. Amazon is another app that is unlocked if the iPhone is unlocked.
5. If you go to pubs and clubs, consider getting a second phone that just has a few essential contact numbers, and perhaps apps for the taxi firms you use, and only take that phone with you on nights out.    

I am still happy to use banking apps on my iPhone because these are protected by a seperate PIN. 

diystarter7

Thank you for the detailed post @tacpot12

I wont use the iPhone to genrlly surf and just have the ring/alam/Alexa/google smart apps along with barclays and one email - i rarely use the phone
Looking at their website i can text a nnumber to barclays so I get their puka app and I think i have read it write that i can use my pin reader as well

I will call them tomorrow about joint account access as me and Mrs Diy share the main mobile she has so possibly change and then how easy is it to change number for mobile as I will move my old number to the Barclays app.

Thnaks