first direct

Needs more notifications. My old Starling account had a much better app than this, it doesn't notify you when you need to approve a payment, nor does it tell you when you've used your card, or when you have an upcoming payment or direct debit. The staff here are the best I've seen in a bank, so helpful and friendly. The app just needs to be better.

Signed up over a week ago and still not been able to get into the app. Every time I try to log in it needs me to put in a 'Security Key' but there's no explanation on how I get that? I know I have a 'Digital Secure Key' password but again no idea where I use this and what for? All the terms are similar so very confusing and it's frustrating just trying to log in! No difference when trying to do it online through my computer either

Truly awful I'd love to tell you how I find the app but I can't even get past the registration process. First the telephone password they sent me didn't match and required resetting. Now it's telling me my security questions don't match. So frustrating, I'm going to cancel the transfer process and stick with my current bank. Ive used mobile app banking for years and can honestly say the first direct registration process is appalling

Good but could be even better. The 'spending insights' feature sounds promising but provides no insights! Just like the energy apps, I want charts of balance fluctuations, spending trends, spending categories, etc. That would be useful. I need more features to help me analyse my spending/saving patterns.

Original review (2*) was a gripe about my fingerprint login disabling itself constantly. Been fine for a while now. Upto 3 stars now because it got better BUT... lacks so many features. Select cards and it says no cards even though there are two on this account. Why do I have to phone to change the amount paid into a regular saver? That should be a 30 second task in the app.

Generally good but paying in cheques impossible. Photographs the front fine but always has issues with photographing the back of the cheque. Let's the app down. Updated app. Uninstalled, reinstalled. Called customer service. Still can't pay in a cheque. Useless. Update July. 3 months later. Still struggling to pay in cheques. I've even tried ironing them! Same issue with the back of the cheque. Now having to use a different bank for cheques. Updated April 2022 Still the same. 🙄

Very good easy to use app. The only feature missing is the lack of push notifications for debits and credits to account. So 18 months on from my original review and still no push notifications for credits and debits. No excuse for this, every other banking app I use has this feature including HSBC your parent company!

Works reliably and does the job. One feature that needs fixing is the text colour in the 'send message' text entry box, in dark mode it's impossible to read what you're typing due to the text being white on an almost white background.

Still a terrible app design wise compared to NatWest and Barclays. Featires they offer are so much better. Trying to do anything is a pain in the back side. Paying credit cards is a nightmare. So long winded. It looks awful as well. The whole app is a depressing monochrome environment.

Updates often cause problems. Currently won't load. UPDATE - have contacted customer support. They have no idea why it no longer works on Android 10 and can offer no help. I guess I'll have to change banks as I can't afford to replace my phone every time they update their app. Appalling.

Normally cannot fault, but today I couldn't take a screen shot (it was just black), or for that matter download information as a pdf like with other banks. I'm not sure what benifit you think this is but to me it's nothing but annoying. Edit: No way to reply (googles fault) it's not the statements I want access to it's the transaction. The statements would leave me open to fraud. A screen shot of a transaction or the ability to download it as a pdf wouldn't!

This is by far the worst banking app I have used. I've only just opened a 1st direct a/c and registered. There is no statement to show in/out flow of funds. It can only be used on one device at a time. Terrible. Plenty of room for improvements.

If you have a credit card and bank account with them it is fiddily to set up the bank account to pay the credit card. You have to memorise how much you have to pay then go back into the bank account and pay it. They still send paper statements even with the app and finding out balance to pay by when is confusing plus it doesn't give payment reminders. I've forgotten to pay it 2-3 times because I don't look at paper statements. Moved bank because of it, not great in this day and age.

Useless for paying in cheques. Tried using it to pay in a cheque. Absolutely useless. Tried more than 20 times to capture the image but told that the size did not fit despite getting green confirmatory edges. Cheques vary in size so surely a picture of the cheque should be sufficient without any constraints?

Great App, but I wish it would be less complicated to set up the app after resetting it. There should be a less complicated way to do it other than calling customer service.

The chat function is useless. The text doesn't show. The font colour or the background colour needs to change. Everything else is fine.

Once activated ok. However if a FD person is talking you through it on the phone and it is android 12, then the "on phone call" icon covers the first box of your internet password letter and it is impossible to enter it! Had to ring off and do it unaided. Perhaps first direct could reconfigure the page layout to avoid this. It is an accessibility problem for anyone who needs phone help from FD, because HSBC branch is unable to assist in this.

No problem setting up the app. However, a banking app should allow you to bank, and this is only partially the case here. You cannot view or delete future scheduled payments you have set up, having to log in to online banking. How stupid! Also, the message facility does not work as when you type, it simply shows a blank space. If the bank wants us to use digital security through an app rather than a key card, the app should be functional, and it is not.

The app only works in UK time zone. I'm living in Canada for a year and all I see is 'transactions are currently unavailable' error message every time I want to view my transactions. Fix this problem or the first thing I do upon return to UK will be switching banks. There's a workaround but I shouldn't have to change the timezone on my device to UK just to see my transactions. If your current app development team are confused by something this simple it's time to hire a new one.

Very poor app - if you forget your password there's no option to reset it in the app (despite it saying this is possible). You always have to call up the service centre...

2 passwords? Why only 1 device? I have to set up 2 passwords that are not case sensitive and can't contain special characters? Not the secure method we are all advised on. Why can't I have the app on my phone and tablet? I do with my other banking apps.

App is displayed in glaring white - with no dark option. Little functionality is available but there is a messaging facility; unhelpfully the font in the input field is white against a white background if Android system dark mode is in use ! God help you if you're visually impaired to any degree. NB. My previous review, which included other issues with FD that they responded to, has been deleted! Guess deletion of negative reviews is possible for favoured clients.

Problem showing current account transactions. This has been ongoing for quite a few days! A very pleasant tech person spent ages helping me restore my transactions yesterday and today I am unable to see them! I give up!!

So far so good, but on the 'what's next' section it says turn on push notifications, yet there's no where to do it! It's a security feature that really needs adding since many other bank apps have this. Please update this

Doesn't work with Face Unlock unlike most bank apps so I need to use insecure, slow passwords instead. My Starling Bank app is streets ahead of this dull, dated user experience, it's 2022 guys! I'll be looking to switch over soon.

Over the phone customer service is brilliant but the app is terrible hard to navigate and it's hard to find what you're looking for my old app with the Halifax was simple intuitive easy to navigate . If it doesn't improve over the next few months it's not impossible that I might swap banks again so here's hoping

It doesn't work - try a different bank. I can't log in and the website says click on buttons that don't exist in the app.