Back in June, AIB announced a new app experience was coming for customers. It has received some mixed feedback from customers and had somet technical issues too. A spokesperson for AIB said the bank will “continue to closely monitor the rollout of the new app with customers” and claim “that the vast majority of customers have adapted well to the new experience which has been specifically designed to help them better engage with their finances”, remaining “available to support the very small number of customers who experience compatibility issues with the security of their handset”.
People miss AIB’s quick balance
I was singing the praises of Quick Balance when I compared digital banking in Ireland back in 2018, mostly because it showed how readily people will trade a sliver of security for convenience. AIB has clearly decided that’s a trade it no longer wants to offer, which is a defensible call for a bank. It’s just not the same as saying nothing was lost.
Quick Balance as customers knew it is gone. In the old app, you could press and hold the euro button on the login screen and see your balance without logging in at all. In the new app, you log in first, and your balance and recent transactions appear on the home screen.
AIB’s argument is that a faster login does the same job. For me, the whole point of Quick Balance was that you didn’t have to log in. Standing at a till wondering whether payday had landed, a glance was enough. It is arguably a net gain for customers to have faster log in experiences, if they can log in.
The access issues with AIB’s new app
There have been reports of customers not being able to access their online banking via the app at all, though AIB maintains this is a minority of customers. The issue resulted in owners of genuine iPhones not being able to access the app, instead being greeted with a warning that their phone was “Jailbroken” even when it wasn’t.
AIB stated that this was due something with the “device or something on it isn’t compatible with the app’s security check rather than a bug in the app”.
There have also been instances reported of customers traveling no longer being able to access their banking via the app too. It appears that some sort of GEO lock has been applied that requires you to contact the bank, but that doing so may only work when back in Ireland again.
The knock-on effect is what makes it serious. The AIB app is also used to approve online banking logins from a browser, so being locked out of the app can mean being locked out of digital banking altogether if you don’t have a card reader in a drawer or suiitcase somewhere. For someone trying to pay rent or check whether wages have arrived, being part of a small minority is little comfort.
Can you still use Face ID with the new AIB app?
Yes, but only once you set up a passkey. The old app let you use Face ID or a fingerprint directly. The new app routes biometrics through passkeys instead, which live in your phone’s password manager and unlock with Face ID, Touch ID, a fingerprint or your device PIN depending on your handset.
To set one up, log in with your five-digit PAC, tap your initials in the top left corner of the home screen, go to Login and security, tap Passkeys and then Create a passkey. AIB has a short guide to setting up a passkey in the AIB mobile app, which helps if your phone asks you to switch passkeys on in its own settings first.
To be honest, this is the change I have the least issue with. Passkeys are a genuine security upgrade, largely because there’s no code for a scammer to phish out of you. The problem is presentation. Anyone who skipped the passkey prompt on their first login would have seen Face ID simply disappear. AIB also still lets you log in with your PAC, so the old five-digit code hasn’t gone anywhere.
What to do if the new AIB app isn’t working
Start with the basics. Make sure both the app and your phone’s software are fully up to date, and check that your date and time are set automatically. If you’re seeing a jailbreak or rooted device warning, AIB’s guidance is to disconnect any VPN, check for device management profiles installed by an employer, and think about whether a security, privacy or VPN app was added to your phone recently.
If none of that works, you can still reach your accounts through Internet Banking in a browser using your registration number and PAC, with a one-time passcode sent by text to verify it’s you. AIB’s help page for trouble logging in to the AIB mobile app covers the rest. Phone support is available on 0818 724 724, or +353 1 771 242 if you’re calling from outside Ireland, from 9am to 5pm, seven days a week. Branches can help too.
So, it’s a mixed launch for AIB’s new app. But they are not alone. Revolut has suffered not one, but two data leaks themselves and through a third-party they use. Today, Bank of Ireland customers started to receive notifications that a new app was coming too.
Given the track record traditional Irish banks have for technology roll outs and slow advancement, to say that sent a chill down my spine is an understatement. It’s hard to know where best to put your money these days!
