Well this sucks, I am locked out of online banking..
Due to EU regulations online banking cannot use SMS or paper authentication methods anymore, requiring the use of "secure" mobile applications instead. 🤦♂️
So now you need an Android or iOS running mobile phone to do tasks that a simple web browser was capable of before.
The new "app" is quite the disaster, contains ads, introduces fees and sometimes doesn't even work at all.
What an improvement! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=caixaeconomica.approva
Oh this is even worse than I thought.
- requires location access (won't work otherwise)
- transactions can use "push notifications", which basically means it goes through google servers, great security and privacy!
Since I do not have PlayStore on my phone, not sure what to do..
Using random apks from the internet seems like a terrible idea, even more for such crucial things as banking.
Obviously the application is not open-source, so won't make it to F-Droid or related services.
😦 😔 😞
@falktx Have you tried https://aurora-store.en.uptodown.com/android ? I'm not using Google Play for years now but only this store. You can basically download APK offer on Google Play without a google play account which eliminate the random APK security issues.
@wwwgem I replied to someone else about this, really do not trust such services for crucial things as online banking. we should not have to go to such weird steps for basic living necessities.
@falktx I'm sharing your thoughts and that's why people think I'm living outside of this world because I'm now part of this unique community who communicates/shares/gets "informed"/learns... using the same unique tool for each need. The topic of changing people minds and habits and the rationale for promoting one tool vs another is too vast but it's a fact that laziness is the best promoter for tools that consider customers as a product. Everyone make choices, I made mines.