Bank of Ireland customers with older phones could soon find themselves unable to access the Mobile Banking app.

The bank has warned customers to make sure their phone has “the latest operating system” installed in order to keep using the app.

In a push notification sent last week, the bank warned customers that their app would ‘no longer be supported’ unless they update to the Android 11 operating system or higher.

Meanwhile, customers using Apple devices will need iOS 15 or higher.

Android 11 was first released in September 2020, while iOS 15 was launched in September 2021.

Bank of Ireland app

In a statement, the bank said customers need to upgrade their operating systems by Sunday.

For those who do not, the app will continue working for a short period; however, it will stop working as the bank updates functionality in the coming months.

“If customers don’t update their device’s operating system they will no longer receive Bank of Ireland App updates from March 31st,” the bank said.

“The app will still work in the short-term, but over time it will not work for them as we add/update functionality.”

Online banking

The change comes as the bank launches a new app it says will offer customers “all the features of the Bank of Ireland desktop platform, as well as enhanced security”.

The bank said older operating systems are no longer supported by Apple or Google, which means they no longer get updates including security patches, which fix known flaws.

It said all customers should regularly update to the latest operating system so their device is “not at risk from potential vulnerabilities”.

Meanwhile, many customers with Huawei phones are already unable to access Bank of Ireland app updates because of changes brought in by the US Government several years ago.

Bank of Ireland said some customers are still able to access the older version of the app – and those that are not are able to access their online banking via a laptop or desktop, provided they have a ‘Physical Security Key’.