Bank of America gives the thumb up to Apple and Android devices, with latest update to its mobile app

Bank of America customers have recently rejoiced at the latest update of the Bank of America’s mobile banking app on both Android and iOS, which finally supports biometric recognition through fingerprint sign-in.

Owners of Apple devices fit with Touch-ID, such as the iPhone 6, iPad, as well as owners of Android devices outfitted with fingerprint scanners, can now access their banking information faster, without going through the usual image pass-key two-step sign-in process, which is still available for devices without biometric hardware.

According to Bank of America’s official press release, the process of identification is “... built according to FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) standards...”,as part of the bank’s “...ongoing commitment to staying ahead of advancements in mobile device authentication...”.

This is big news, as the recent update means furthering integration of biometric technology in more devices, in the near future, including Windows Phone devices using Windows Hello biometric login. While at this current stage, Bank of America has yet to announce plans in regard to supporting face recognition, industry standards could direct Bank of America, as well, as Wells Fargo and other large institutions, to adopt more sophisticated authentication methods involving face and iris recognition.

The latest iteration of the banking app is now officially supporting Apple Watch as well, and is compatible with iPhone devices as old as the iPhone 5, and running iOS 8.2 or later versions.