Asda Rewards app no longer supported on older iphones discriminating against the elderly

madsaver

So my 75 year old mother has just about got to grips with the old iphone we set her up with which enabled her to access whatsapp and apps like the Asda Rewards app.
She has been enjoying going to Asda on the bus with her shopping trolley to try to boost her rewards bonus by buying the items included in the scheme.  However lately her asda app hasn't been working so she asked me to take a look.  It needed an update but the latest update isn't supported on her older ios model iphone.  
She doesn't need/want or afford to update her iphone but is now being completely excluded from these rewards and therefore paying a premium for some items that otherwise would have a "cash back" reward.
Not only that but she is unable to access the current £4 that is in her account.  I phoned ASDA but they weren't very helpful and suggested they would email me a voucher (my mother has and email address as she HAS to to access these accounts but doesn't use it) but this has yet to materialise 
Other supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsburys at least have a physical card linked to their loyalty schemes but they are not accessible to my mother by bus   

la531983

Do only elderly people have old phones then?

Sorry but cries of discrimination are absolutely erroneous. Apps constantly have to be updated to ensure they are secure, old phones are not secure.

Get her a cheap Android.  In the meantime download the app on your phone, log in as her, and take a screenshot of the voucher and also the barcode on the home page, screenshots of the barcode will work perfectly fine. 

cymruchris

Sadly as things need to become more secure - older technology can't always support the changes.There'll always be progress and a need to keep up. It's unfortunate in this case that it's your elderly mum, but moving to a newer (but still second hand) iphone should do the trick, and there'd be no major change of user interface to have to deal with. It's not discrimination though. 

Remember the time when terrestrial TV got turned off and we all had to go digital? If we didn't go digital, we'd have no more TV. I can't imagine there being many people sat at home now still without access to TV, even though there was uproar at the time.

There won't be many users still using Windows XP (granted I know a few business users use it) - most modern PC's are now on Win 7/10/11.

With modern tech, there'll always be a limited lifespan when it comes to improving security, and things are constantly evolving. The chances are the brand new iphones we buy today will face similar challenges a few years down the line. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but that's the reality.Hopefully you can source a reasonably priced used handset that satisfies the requirements and your mum can carry on enjoying her trips to Asda.

DullGreyGuy

There are a fair few former pensioner customer's I'd love you to say the above to and watch as they tear you a new one and accuse you of being the discriminatory one.

You cannot assume that just because someone is older that they struggle to operate modern technology nor that they cannot afford modern technology. There are plenty of others who cannot afford or choose not to prioritise mobile phones 

There's an 84 year old chap in our local who's a real Apple fanboy and has been in the first 10 in line at the local Apple Store every year to pick up this years latest iPhone, gives his old one to great grandson.

Reddleman79

cymruchris said:

There won't be many users still using Windows XP.

Win2k Pro on my useful 25 year old computer running Excel97 and AutoCAD, and a laptop running Ubuntu Linux for internet stuff.

elsien

My old iPhone was exactly the same. I am below pension age and although I was annoyed, I did not feel discriminated against. 

Any old phone is going to get to the point where apps no longer update whether it runs on apple android or anything else. Built-in obsolescence is the situation that we have with technology, as a rule. 

Go with her into a phone shop and have a play. 85-year-old parent has successfully navigated the different operating systems and homes as long as you stick to the lower end of the ranges without all the complications.
Alternatively she could go into CEX and get a cheap iPhone 7 or eight, with a warranty. 

Albermarle

elsien said:

My old iPhone was exactly the same. I am below pension age and although I was annoyed, I did not feel discriminated against. 

Any old phone is going to get to the point where apps no longer update whether it runs on apple android or anything else. Built-in obsolescence is the situation that we have with technology, as a rule. 

Go with her into a phone shop and have a play. 85-year-old parent has successfully navigated the different operating systems and homes as long as you stick to the lower end of the ranges without all the complications.
Alternatively she could go into CEX and get a cheap iPhone 7 or eight, with a warranty. 

It probably will not be long before I phone 7 stops getting updates, so probably better to go for a later model, or switch to a cheaper newer android phone.

Itsme01x

I buy all of my phones off ebay (+sim only contract).  Usually a month or two after the latest release. Then watch what is happening with regards to prices and auction results before stepping out.  Normally pick up a very nice phone including original box, charger etc from 2/3 upgrades previous.  

MarzipanCrumble

Article recommending simple mobiles for elderly parents:
https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/mobile-phones/1409584/best-simple-mobile-phone-for-older-people-senior-pensioner
From Asda:
https://mobile.asda.com/scoop/best-phones-for-seniors
From PC Magazine:
https://uk.pcmag.com/smartphones/93045/the-best-phones-for-seniors
From Which?:
https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/assistive-technology/article/easy-to-use-mobile-phones-aYS4n1O09i6Z

Most of the recommended are cheap especially if SIM only.

alanfp

Most of the replies here have completely missed the point. The Rewards schemes are supposed to SAVE you money, not make you buy another phone. Remember this is a Money Saving Forum.

Other supermarkets manage to retain a physical card which can be kept in a wallet. There is a relatively small number of customers without a mobile phone (percentage-wise, although national figures estimate it at 1-3 million), BUT there are plenty more customers who have a mobile phone but not a smartphone and it IS generally older people, or partially sighted people who can feel the buttons rather than use a touchscreen.

So even if it doesn't legally breach the DDA, it is very unhelpful and a black mark for Asda and well done to the others for not going down the App only route.

DullGreyGuy

alanfp said:

Most of the replies here have completely missed the point. The Rewards schemes are supposed to SAVE you money, not make you buy another phone. Remember this is a Money Saving Forum.

Other supermarkets manage to retain a physical card which can be kept in a wallet. There is a small number of customers without a mobile phone (percentage-wise, although it probably runs into tens of thousands) BUT there are plenty of customers who have a mobile phone but not a smartphone and it IS generally older people, or partially sighted people who can feel the buttons rather than use a touchscreen.

So even if it doesn't legally breach the DDA, it is very unhelpful and a black mark for Asda and well done to the others for not going down the App only route.

Tens of thousands?? It's estimated 95% of adults will have a smart phone by 2025 and there are over 44m adults in the UK so over 2,239,000 people without one. It's about equal if those people have no mobile phone or a non-smart phone. Over 1m don't have a mobile not tens of thousands. 

As to blind/partially sighted... the few I know all have smart phones because with all their capabilities (eg text to voice, voice dialling etc) they are able to use the phone much more than say when their bank sent an SMS message to their old non-smart phone that they then had to find someone else to read for them. 

Operating systems update to improve security and features, it's not feasible to make every OS run on every version of hardware ever made. Often OS' replace previous ways to do things with new ones either to leverage the new features or for security reasons. Apps are similar, they will leverage capabilities in the OS and whilst you can write code such that if the OS is <10 you use the old now insecure method and if its >10 you use the new secure method this firstly makes code maintenance much more difficult and secondly means you are wilfully exposing your customers to things that are now known to be insecure. 

It's not planned obsolesce but the reality is no device will be supported for security patches forever and few apps that are still maintained will want to support devices now known to be insecure forever. On the plus side, Apple maintains their security/patching much longer than most Android phones do.