B of A Upgrades Mobile Apps for the Visually Impaired

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) announced Tuesday it improved the accessibility of its mobile banking security features to help customers with disabilities. The mobile banking updates were made for Apple products running on the iOS platform.

"The Bank of America mobile banking apps for iPhone and iPad have been enhanced to improve accessibility for people who are blind or visually impaired," wrote spokeswoman Tara Burke in an email to BTN.

To that end, B of A said it updated voice-over commands connected to SiteKey and SafePass functionality to better work with Apple's VoiceOver audio screen-reading technology. SiteKey is an authentication method that requires the customer to identify the image he chose when he signed up for mobile banking, the title the customer gave that image at the time and three challenge questions that will be asked if the customer signs in from a computer the bank doesn't recognize. The bank's SafePass security feature lets customers authorize transactions using one-time, six-digit passcodes.

The mobile updates come on the heels of B of A enhancing the accessibility of the SafePass, SiteKey and ShopSafe functionality online.

B of A said it worked with the Bay State Council of the Blind and customers with visual impairments on its newest accessibility initiative.