How to install your bank's app on your phone for the first time
Perhaps someone in your family told you that "the bank has an app now" and that it's worth having on your phone. It sounds complicated, but relax — it really is simpler than it seems. This guide will take you by the hand, step by step, from the very beginning. You don't need to know anything in advance. And most importantly: you cannot break anything by tapping the wrong button. You can always go back and try again.
What is an "app" anyway?
An app (short for "application") is a small program on your phone — a little picture with a name that you tap with your finger to open it. You probably already have a few apps: the phone for calling, the camera for photos, messages. A bank app works the same way — you open it to check the money in your account or make a transfer, without going to a branch.
Every app has an icon. An icon is that small colourful picture on your phone's screen. You tap the icon to start the app.
What is an "app store"?
Apps are downloaded from one single, safe place — this place is called an app store. It is not a shop where you pay money. Bank apps themselves are free. It is simply the place on your phone where you safely get them from.
- If you have a Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Huawei or similar phone — your store is called the Play Store (or Google Play). Its icon is a small colourful triangle.
- If you have an iPhone (a phone made by Apple) — your store is called the App Store. Its icon is a blue square with a white letter "A".
Not sure which one you have? No problem. Look on your screen for a colourful triangle or a blue square with the letter "A". One of them is certainly there.
Step by step — how to download your bank's app
- Unlock your phone the way you usually do.
- Find the store icon on your screen — a colourful triangle (Play Store) or a blue square with the letter "A" (App Store).
- Tap that icon once with your finger to open the store.
- At the top of the screen, find the bar with a magnifying glass and the word "Search".
- Tap that bar — a keyboard with letters will appear at the bottom of the screen.
- Type the name of your bank, for example "PKO" or "mBank".
- Tap the blue "Search" button on the keyboard.
- In the list, find the app with your bank's logo — the same one you have on your payment card.
- Next to it, tap the green "Install" button (in the App Store it may say "Get").
- Wait a moment — a bar fills up, which means your phone is downloading the app.
- When an "Open" button appears, tap it to start the app.
All done. From now on your bank's icon will stay permanently on your phone's screen. Next time you'll open it with a single tap, without going to the store.
How to check it really is the genuine bank app?
This matters, because scammers sometimes fake apps. A few simple things that will protect you:
- Download only from the Play Store or App Store — never from a link sent to you by text message or email.
- Check that the name and logo match what you have on your payment card.
- Notice whether the app has many ratings — genuine bank apps have thousands of them.
If you received a text or email with a link saying "download the bank app here" — do not tap it. A real bank never tells you to download an app through a link. Always do it yourself, from the store.
What to do if something goes wrong
If something looks different from this guide — don't worry. Phones differ from one another and the words can be in slightly different places. Calmly look around for similar words: "Search", "Install", "Open".
If the app won't download, try this:
- Check that your phone is connected to the internet — ideally your home Wi-Fi.
- Turn your phone off and on again, then try once more.
- Ask a trusted family member to sit with you — there's no shame in that.
And if you have any doubt whether it really is your bank's app — call your bank on the helpline number printed on the back of your payment card. Never call a number from a text or email. And remember one thing: never give anyone your passwords or codes over the phone, even someone who says they are "from the bank".
Summary — remember these steps
If you're only now thinking about a convenient account with an app, you can calmly compare personal account offers at BankSorter.com.