Virgin Money decrease functionality of their app which could affect disabled people.

Yorkshire_Pud

VM app update of 31July approx. When using the app on an iPad ONLY portrait view is now available NOT landscape which was previously there. So cue Dom Joly and stupidly outsized mobile phone scenario. VM essentially treating an iPad as a very big smartphone. How dumb.

It’s a joke trying to balance my iPad now keeps falling over and the size of the information is so needlessly big and spread out it’s very hard to track with your eyes, causing eye strain. I’m reporting them to a disability rights group and I’ve made a complaint to VM which I’m waiting for an email response.

It’s back to the future with Virgin Money.

masca

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6679513/virgin-money-decrease-functionality-of-their-app-for-disabled-people

Have you reported (not complained) the issue to Virgin tech support in the first instance? It's likely a bug/unintentional change that they will happily put right when they realise. It could also, at least in part if not wholey, be related to individual settings on your iPad, and hence they need to be informed if such an issue arises in the real world, but didn't surface during testing. It sounds unlikely to be intentional... (And, no, I don't work for Virgin!)

Yorkshire_Pud

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82100136#Comment_82100136

It’s intentional.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6679513/virgin-money-decrease-functionality-of-their-app-for-disabled-people

Just to be clear, with your reporting this to a disability rights group, are you actually asserting that they're breaching their legal obligations under the Equality Act, and/or less binding 'best practice' guidance?

Yorkshire_Pud

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82100535#Comment_82100535

I’m asserting that I’m not happy about the change which is actually documented as per the app functionality. Nothing to do with an official disability right. I’m not a lawyer, merely expressing my reaction to the change and how it’s affecting me as a customer. So I can’t comment on the equality act or any less binding best practice guidance. Anyway I’m talking to their complaints dept soon and will see what transpires.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82100551#Comment_82100551

OK, I interpreted your reference to reporting this to a disability rights group as signifying that you felt it was a disability rights issue.

Yorkshire_Pud

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82100564#Comment_82100564

Obviously I’m trying to pump it up a bit. It will be for the disability rights group to decide. I personally believe it to be detrimental to the ability to use the app when it’s in portrait mode with no option to return to landscape. Some have queried this here but VM themselves have confirmed it as a developer choice not an oversight. Apparently it’s all the rage for app developers these days to rule out the landscape option for various technical reasons and substantially to suit smartphones. So if the lack of landscape makes it difficult for a disabled person to use their iPad to navigate the app then it MAY be a disability rights issue. VM have policies on access. Early days for me to see if I can get any traction.

Yorkshire_Pud

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82100289#Comment_82100289

Don’t know what a changelog is. As for proof if you search the subject then Virgin Money have confirmed the withdrawal of the landscape functionality at the last app update end of July. The phrase ‘ Virgin’s intent to annoy all tablet users’ is one you conjured up not me.

Yorkshire_Pud

I’ve changed the title as it might appear I was suggesting VM were withdrawing landscape mode IN ORDER to disadvantage people with disabilities. Complaints at VM got back to me and did indeed tell me to try various things to restore landscape until I explained it had been withdrawn. She didn’t know. I put forward the co-op bank app which displays in landscape orientation but in just the middle third of the screen which is acceptable to me, easy to read and interact with. She will put forward my ideas and the co-op example to the app developers to see if it’s something they may consider. Complaint amicably closed.

Yorkshire_Pud

Message at log in now says, we are working on a fix to restore landscape view to the app . Hooray.

redux

Is this new? I've never seen Virgin's credit card app on my phone rotate into landscape mode

It might arguably be useful for looking at the statement, but it's still possible to zoom in on that.