Obsolescence oversight?

We have been loyal clients of this bank since the early 1990s when we opened an account with another bank and stayed when the two banks merged. Many things to like and a few to dislike, but we saw no reason to move banks for probably close to 35 years.

However, this year we started having issues. I don’t like the idea that if I ever lost my phone, it would have banking apps on it, so I never downloaded the bank app.

We used to access our accounts through the website, which required an OTP (one-time password) sent to my phone to confirm identity before being able to securely login.

All of a sudden a couple of months ago, we were unable to log in through the website as we were told it now required a Mobile Key generated through the mobile app instead of an OTP.

After some discussions with customer service, it appeared that the bank was not giving us a choice, but basically forcing us to start using the app.

As I still dislike the idea of carrying around banking apps outside of the house where there is a higher chance of my phone being lost/stolen, we grudgingly decided to put the app on an old phone, an iPhone 7, which was always left at home.

This worked well for us until Monday morning when we tried to open the app only to be told we had to update it. However, the new app requires iOS 16.0, and an iPhone 7 can only be updated as far as iOS 15.8, so the app will no longer work for us unless we get a newer phone.

The iPhone 7 came out in 2016, although I probably bought it a few years later as I have never been a fan of buying the latest gadget at inflated prices. Nine years later it performs perfectly well, and I see no need to replace it, but now I may have to just to access my bank accounts!

Whilst looking for solutions online, my wife came across many similar complaints, including for Android phones (the app requires Android 10), so I am not the only one who hangs on to phones for as long as possible.

Yes, I understand that built-in obsolescence is part and parcel of modern manufacturing (gone are the days when appliances could be repaired over and over again) but even Apple has not sent the iPhone 7 to the scrap heap yet and we were able to update it to the latest possible iOS yesterday. However, this is not enough…

Surely in a country where many people struggle to feed their children, we should not be putting age limits on mobile devices required to access apps needed for daily life.

After all, to quote their website from last Aug. 29, they are trying to “make banking more convenient and inclusive” by opening “branch hubs” in neighborhood stores where deposits and withdrawals can be made, which is a really great idea.

However, on one hand, they are trying to make banking more accessible to all, and on the other you need a newer phone to be able to access your money. Was this an “obsolescence oversight?”

Another issue is the bank gave customers no warning of this. Had we received any message that starting around 10 days ago (judging by all the online complaints) I would not be able to use my trusty iPhone 7 anymore, I would have done something about it, like finding the next higher used model in Greenhills.

Instead, all of a sudden I can neither access my money without going to a bank or ATM, nor even see my account balances as I cannot generate the all-important Mobile Key without the app.

Ironically, I can use a check book to pay bills or an ATM card to check my balances, but that is hardly convenient nor inclusive. As of this writing, I do not know what the solution will be.

The most drastic would be to transfer to another bank, so my wife did a quick check to see which banks have apps that would work with my iPhone 7.

To our surprise, we could not find any other local bank that required iOS 16. In fact, some only require iOS 12 (Land Bank for one) so if you still have a functioning iPhone 6 this could be for you!

Even apps of newer online-only banks such as Go Tyme, Union Digital only need iOS 13. Even GCash and Maya, which truly helped make online payments inclusive, only need iOS 14.

Asking why this bank made this decision to basically declare older phones obsolete and therefore ignore the situation of certain customer groups is probably meaningless, as the answer will probably be “enhanced security.”

But at what cost? Denying people access to their money? I’ve seen on-line comments from customers who suddenly cannot pay their bills.

It is not only those who are struggling financially that won’t be able to keep up with the new app but also older people who did not grow up with rapidly changing technology.

It took me ages to get used to one phone and I have no interest in acquiring a new one and then having to ask a Gen-XYZer to set it up and teach me how to use it! Technology is used to help customers, not burden them.

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