Navy Federal Credit Union recently released an updated mobile app that does, well, pretty much everything. Call it the “kitchen sink” update.
Released Nov. 18, the updated 5.0 version of the app puts the country’s largest credit union on par — if not slightly ahead of — the largest banks in terms of mobile app functionality. This might be the most important app update from a credit union in America to date.
In addition to the table-stakes features, the updated app offers shareable news on the home screen, TouchID login, the ability to sign up for new products from within the app, personal financial management tools, and an enhanced transfers screen for sending funds. The app is also optimized for both smartphones and tablets.
The TouchID login makes Vienna, Va.-based Navy Federal one of a very select group of FIs offering this authentication method. Capital One and Citibank are others.
Navy has $72 billion of assets and more than 5.9 million members. According to Timothy Day, assistant vice president for eChannels, mobile overtook online as the credit union’s most-used channel in November.
As with many ambitious bank app updates, the initial reception has been mixed in terms of app store feedback. Change is difficult, especially when customers’ money is involved. One Android reviewer objected to the new home screen, saying it resembled a website. The call for a PIN on the previous version was more useful, the reviewer said. Comparing the app to a website is interesting — the functionality gap between bank sites and apps has been shrinking, and indeed, may have disappeared with updates such as this.
Austin, Texas-based mobile developer Malauzai made this point last year when it introduced an online banking option that was base don the mobile platform — the opposite of the traditional method.
An iOS reviewer asked for the ability to modify recurring payments, but also noted, “App can do just about anything.”
That seems to have been the intention.