While online banking through a desktop computer is more convenient than going to the bank and physically depositing a check, today’s banking customers demand facilities even while they are on the move. Smartphone mobile apps for banking are becoming a huge trend because they are so convenient and easy to use. After all, who would not want the convenience of being able to deposit checks or review their account balances on the move? Developers are cashing in on this need by coming up with a variety of smartphone applications.

Among banking customers, mobile apps download is becoming quickly catching on due to their convenience and ease of access. Users can even deposit checks with the press of a button – such as an Android app developed by JP Morgan for its Android users.

Geo-location facilities that are available on most smartphones allow users to track where they are, and locate particular branches of the bank. Popular mobile banking activities include:

• Viewing account balance and transaction history

• Payment of bills

• Transferring funds between accounts

• Making third-party payments

• Locate branches of the bank and ATM counters

Timely access to information is also a big reason why these smartphone mobile apps are so popular. If a user is away from their desktop computer, it could get difficult to know when an important transaction or bill payment date is due. This is where mobile banking could be of great use. The bank can send the user a timely Short Text Message (SMS) message warning them of the due date of any of their payments. The user can make the payment simply by downloading an application on their phone that allows them to make payments on the go.

As Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android, and Research in Motion’s Blackberry race to grab a chunk of the apps market, several major banks are playing it safe by recruiting mobile application development companies to design apps for their different sets of users. Thus Royal Bank of Canada has apps for their Blackberry and iPhone users. Often, apps are designed specifically for a bank and the user’s model of smartphone. Chase Manhattan Bank has an app that allows users to take photos of a check using their camera phones before depositing it.

Quick Response (QR) codes allow customers to scan barcodes and use digital coupons for their transactions with the bank. The best part of this technology is that it gives people the ability to do their banking activities on the move, a very convenient facility during transit or in-between meetings. Responding to the growing need for mobility, banks are also coming up with various QR-based applications, which are expected to become more popular in the years to come.

Research estimates say that by 2015, mobile banking will reach 1.1 billion people – and apps will come packed with more innovative technologies. Taking advantage of this trend, smartphone mobile apps developers are coming up with innovative products to help banks have better, timely communication with their customers.