App Review: Bank of America

I usually do reviews for software I like. I do that for a few reasons. First, I think it is worthwhile for you to read reviews of apps that are actually helpful. Next, I am an optimist and I see the good in almost everything. And last, I don't always see a need to slam every product.  My review of Bank of America's mobile app is none of these things!  However, even on positive reviews I usually add my opinion about features I would like to see added or that are blatantly missing just to balance out the review; so I am going to try and help them make this a better product for their customers.

Accounts in Bank of America

I know that banks are like cell phone carriers.  We all have one and we all normally hate them.  Banks are a necessary evil.  That being said, we all want a bank that offers us great customer service and doesn't cost us a fortune in fees.  I switched to Bank of America a few years ago because I liked the online banking experience they offered plus the account I chose didn't cost me much to maintain.  They have accounts designed for people like me that only want to do online banking.  Heck, they eventually added support on their website for Google Chrome Browsers!  But their mobile Android app is still lacking in some key features.

The app starts up quickly and once you have logged in and verified your credentials the first time, it will come up with your saved Online ID code. Click on that to get to their secondary authentication method, the passcode.  Upon entering the passcode you can have it drop you into the accounts section of the app.  From the accounts section you can drill down to the individual checking or savings accounts you may have.  If you open one of the accounts the app loads 25 items at a time. It will show the status of the transaction along with some details and the amount.  There is a search option at the top of the screen to help you find specific transactions.  It is very limited in what you can actually do here other than view transactions.

To get back to the accounts section you need to hit the back button. While this certainly works, the first thing I find annoying about the app is the navigation or lack thereof.  I don't find it intuitive or easy to navigate at all.  You go into sections then need to back up to go to other sections. I would like a universal menu to be available at all times to help with this problem.

Banking locations for Bank of America

You also have a Bill Pay tab (if you are signed up for that service) to allow you to pay bills while on the go.  Again, the navigation is like a bad 90's FrontPage site.  As you would expect in the Transfers section, you can transfer funds between accounts.  They allow you to schedule transfers at a later time and review scheduled transfers.  The final tab is the locations area.  This will let you find ATM's and banking centers near you.  The app will let you choose to use your location based on cell tower locations rather than GPS. When I load the app it never initiates the GPS signal so I am assuming that it just triangulates your location.  You can see the locations on a map or in a list view.

That is where the functionality ends. If you noticed there is no way to deposit checks through the app.  I asked about a year ago if that feature was going to be added and the bank employee was sure they would have it "soon".  I know that USAA and Chase both offer a feature where you can take pictures with your camera through the app to have the funds deposited.   I have been contemplating leaving Bank of America because of this missing piece. I don't ever need to go to the bank except to deposit checks.  If I could snap a picture on my phone and deposit it that way, I would likely need to go to the bank twice a year..max.  But since it isn't available I am led to believe that I will be going to the bank every week or two for eternity.

The app logs you out if there isn't any activity for a few minutes.  I feel that the security is strong enough to trust having it on my phone.  With the passcode ID that has to be entered every time I did eventually save the Online ID code.  It makes using the app easier but I could see this being a concern for the security minded or wealthy users. I am not either of those and the standard security is fine.  Bank of America does offer SafePass security for additional piece of mind. However, they don't tell you this unless you logout of the app and click on the Privacy and Security options.  This brings up a web page type screen that has an option listed as Security Solutions on the right side of the screen.  That takes you to a set of apps to aid you in being more secure.  Why is this not a front page option?  I don't get it.

If I could offer up some advice on how to improve this app it would be:

1. Fix the interface navigation. Allow me to be able to jump from one point to the other easily without using the back button.
2. Add deposits through the camera like Chase and USAA offers.
3. See #2, this is very important to me and it is 2012 after all! Seriously, they should stop whatever it is they are doing and work on this right now. I am not kidding.
4. Put additional security tools on the main login page or on my aforementioned navigation menu.

If you are a customer like I am your options are a) suffer with this app or b) change banks.  Changing banks isn't as easy as it sounds either.  I just hope that Bank of America updates some of these features soon.  What do you hate about your banking app? Let me know.