Westpac is bringing its enhanced mobile app to Android clients, as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to accelerate the adoption and usage of virtual banking services.
The app from Westpac makes it quicker, convenient, and a lot more secure for clients to effectively manage their funds, supported by intuitive search and navigation tools, improved security, personalized banking services and a more user-friendly design.
Over 800,000 clients with a mobile running Android 10+ will now be updated to Westpac’s latest banking app in the coming weeks, after a successful pilot or trial phase with over 20,000 customers.
The roll-out to Android customers has come after the app was introduced for 1.7 million iPhone clients earlier in 2021, with a 15% increase in clients using mobile-only for accessing virtual banking services.
Westpac Chief Executive Consumer & Business Banking, Chris de Bruin, stated:
“Mobile has become the channel of choice for customers, with more than 84 per cent of consumer and business digital banking taking place on a smart phone or tablet. We wanted to create an app where we put the customer in control and give them on-demand access to their finances, where and when they want.”
Chris added:
“It’s great we can now bring this better banking experience to even more of our customers with the latest Android roll out. Since first introducing the new app for iPhone, we’ve seen strong uptake with 700,000 daily users and more than 90,000 customers using our Smart Search feature each week.”
Westpac has also included various features to improve digital safety and security when using the app.
Mr de Bruin further noted:
“Westpac offers customers a market-leading digital card security feature through our dynamic CVC which issues a new temporary code every 24 hours via the app to help protect customers from fraud when shopping online. Since launching the app we have seen a 178 per cent increase in digital card usage, and customers viewed the dynamic CVC more than 400,000 times each month.”
He continued:
“Today’s announcement is the next step in our digital banking strategy which continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of our customers. We will continue to build digital solutions to make banking simpler, faster and even more secure.”
Westpac research reveals that around 9 in 10 (87%) Australian consumers think that it is easier to carry out everyday banking tasks via all-digital channels, meanwhile, 75% say that virtual banking has made them more careful about spending money.
The Westpac app for Android 10+ and iPhone includes the following:
- Smart Search: customers can quickly locate banking services in the app, search transactions across multiple accounts, or even initiate and make payments.
- Digital Card: customers can access a digital version of their card in the app which can be used for purchases, or if their physical card is lost or stolen. The Digital Card has a dynamic CVC which refreshes every 24 hours for added security.
- Easier transaction identification: more detailed transaction information to easily identify where you have spent money including business name, location and contact details.
- Cards Hub: customers can now find their debit or credit cards consolidated in one convenient place and lock a card if it gets lost or stolen, change a PIN, or add new cards to their digital wallet.
- Savings Goals: it is now easier for customers to track savings goals in the app with new visual progress tracking, as well as set up recurring transfers and share savings goals with a joint account holder.
- Easy Sign-up: customers can download the app with safe and secure electronic verification, open a new savings and transaction account, and set up their Digital Card all within the app.
- Accessibility improvements: for customers who may be hearing or vision impaired, including making it compatible with screen reader and voiceover technology.
- Quicker payments: reduction in number of payment steps from twelve to four, enabling drag and drop transfers, and making it easier for customers to repeat favourite payments.