Beginner's problem: banking apps not working

Using /e/OS User Queries
1

I’m new to Murena /e/OS, and have no Android-hacking experience, so I’ve not been able to find where to start with my problems. I’ve installed 2 apps from the App Lounge: Swissquote and SZKB Secure The first is on the list of supported banking apps, the second - from Schwyzer Kantonal Bank isn’t.

For Swissquote, when I attempt to login, it say the app is not supported on this platform, or on rooted devices.

SZKB Secure warns me that it’s detected a rooted device, but it lets me in, but does not receive notifications from the bank, which are needed for secure login to the bank website.

I am very close to binning Murena and reverting to Google (yuck!),but if I can get these secure apps running, I will stay, and I want to stay. Can anyone explain why these apps won’t run?

OOps. Fairphone 6, /e/OS 3.7.3.

Thanks.

2

Have you locked the bootloader after install?

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3

Have you installed your apps using App Lounge? (or any other app store) Some people say, this makes a difference.

4

One important question to answer before possibly investing time unnecessarily:
If you somehow would get the Apps working now, can you live with them breaking at any future point in time for an unknown period of time again?

If you can’t, you chose the wrong OS for your use case, because nobody can guarantee that such Apps work or stay working on /e/OS, it’s a nice bonus if they do for as long as they do. And if they don’t, tough luck :person_shrugging: .

5

The app and web presence https://plexus.techlore.tech/ is quite a good place to become better informed.

From the Github link top of above page:

Remove the fear of Android app compatibility on de-Googled devices.

6

If you indeed can’t manage it on /e/ think about a second device. Perhaps you own an old one. These authentication apps do in many cases not need a SIM card, a device in a wifi environment is mostly good enough. You wouldn’t be the first one having a second “definitive secure” device (with a stone age Android version on it) just for banking.

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Many thanks for all the suggestions and help.

irrlicht: danke. I had thought of keeping my Googled Fairphone 3 as a banking device, that may be my best bet.

aibd: Thanks for the warning about future compatibility.

swayne: As for locking the bootloader, I don’t know how to. Should I, if so, how?

8

The plexus list has the Swissquote app as “Broken”, even though someone has added to the list of working apps in this forum. I agree with plexus ;).

9

The lock status of your FP6 will be shown on the Bootloader screen. A purchased from Murena phone is likely locked already. If asking for specific advice perhaps quote the full build_version_string as [HOWTO] Give complete /e/OS version info easily for support, answers, comparison etc.

10

It occurred to me that keeping an old phone, with ancient unsupported Android, for secure banking applications is not the safest way to bank ;).

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11

Yeah, but when your second “very safe” phone is permanently at home and not every day outside the house this has also a safety aspect. Most people have the safety risk on their daily driver. They use it with open networks, at work, in a train, everywhere.