I've heard this argument before and yet I've never understood it.

What government apps do people run? Why do you need to access your bank account on your phone? Is this some payments model that's just not common in my country where we still use physical credit cards for everything?

My bank doesn't yet require the mobile app (quite), but all interactions are significantly more annoying without the app. My 2FA options all require a phone, either for the insecure method of texting me the code, or else an app-only option (they don't allow generic 2FA apps, but instead require a specific app, that almost definitely won't exist for a linux phone). Even verifying my identity on the phone is better with the app (the app generates a code that they just accept, it can be done without but it's slower and more inconvenient).

So no, my everyday interactions don't require the phone app. But any interaction that is novel enough to require direct communication with the bank has been rendered annoying without the phone app.

I'm someone for whom I'd probably be willing to deal with all these inconveniences to make my statement about ownership over my hardware and software, but I doubt that very many average consumers would.

I work for a bank. There is a strategic focus on the mobile banking app over the web app. Younger generations are doing everything through their phones. Including applying for home loans. Many banks are moving towards being digital only as contactless payments means people are using cash a lot less to the point that physical bank branches don't make sense anymore.

I had to use government apps as part of their immigration process, the apps were only available in the official app stores. If I remember right they had am all for immigration services, though I know for sure they had a digital ID app that was absolutely required.

The major banks in that country also required apps from official app stores, though I don't think I was technically required to have a bank account. I was in the country under a program based on owning my own consulting business. I did have to prove financials to the government as part of that, but maybe there was a way I could have technically done that without a bank account which required a mobile app.

> What government apps do people run?

Public transport ticket app, government ID app, drivers licence app.

I do believe all of these specific examples run fine on rooted Android without too much hassle (unsure about the second one), so they should be emulatable or whatever on a Linux phone, but that assumes that experience holds up decently well, which I would be surprised if it did for apps like this.

> Why do you need to access your bank account on your phone?

Because the app is a whole lot better than the web interfaces my previous banks had. Plus the added convenience. I'd prefer that the web interface was just as good as the app, but I'd still use the app even if that existed, just due to the convenience.

> Why do you need to access your bank account on your phone?

Many banks require you use their app to do anything, e.g., make transfers, approve debit card transactions, register your biometrics to unfreeze your account, etc.

And no, choosing a bank without these requirements isn't possible in some countries.

I do most of my banking and investments on my phone. I don’t think I’m in the minority here.

People in non-US countries apparently have a litany of government and banking apps which are mandatory at all times.

This might be an extreme example, but with Saudi Arabia's Absher app you can do almost everything related to government services, IDs and passports, car and driving licenses, visa, all kinds of permits etc. Other countries may have similar apps.

Digital ID in Sweden uses BankID - it is used for everything from identifying at government pages, to your bank, to the supermarket, etc.

> Why do you need to access your bank account on your phone?

My bank requires me to authenticate all online transactions via the phone app. Without it, it's not possible to make online payments.

> What government apps do people run?

There are a bunch of them here in Australia, and there were several in the UK.

Here there's a secure ID app for government services which is used as 2FA on the web interface, and various apps to access state and national government services directly. There's a tax one that allows you to scan receipts to collect them up for your annual tax return. In the UK I had an NHS app, can't remember what else.

They aren't mandatory, you can live without them, but they are often convenient.

> Why do you need to access your bank account on your phone?

Because it's many people's primary computing device? Why would you not want to access your bank accounts on your phone?

And because if you want to log on to some banks websites you need to have a 2FA security code which can either be generated by a dedicated security device, which has become less common now, or by an app on the phone which is then usually biometrically protected. There is sometimes a second code-generation method for higher value transfers.

So it is convenient to be able to send payments in the bank app, though less common than using my phone instead of the physical card through apple/google pay (those don't require the bank app to be installed).