So that's the reference with Google really works

German banks discovered very early language badistants like Alexa and Assistant of Amazon. To communicate with them, users need a suitable speaker: an echo from Amazon or a Google Home device. In addition, the Google Assistant is also available on the smartphone, for Android and Apple devices.

Similar to smartphone apps, banks are developing so-called Alexa skills and actions for Google. With voice commands such as "Alexa, ask Volksbank" or "Ok, Google, say with Comdirect" the user can open the applications.

Up to now, customers mainly received general content in this way: current stock prices, financial information or opening hours of the nearest branch. But financial institutions want to make future banking transactions through language badistants.

While Amazon rejected access to Alexa's account earlier this year, Google is more open. Since February, the savings funds have a Google action for the balance of the account, 26 institutions are now accessible, 104 more are to be tested for information from the DSGV Savings Fund Association. The advertised function meanwhile for the transfer of "small quantities", but can not wait.

The Comdirect wants to be faster. Indeed, customers can not prepare and not release transactions via the action. For the decisive step, they must continue to open their banking application on their smartphone. How exactly the communication between the client, Comdirect and Google Assistant works, shows a self-experience.

The Practical Test

My way to the first reference with the help of a language badistant is a little bumpy. I do not have a Google Home speaker, so I installed the Google Assistant app on my smartphone.

I do it with a lot of teeth, because in terms of data, it seems to me that the Silicon Valley technology group is hiding nothing at all. The configuration of the wizard, for example, indicates that "your activity on websites and applications is stored by Google", "information about contacts, calendars, applications and music, as well as data from your devices will be stored. recorded voice recognition. "

When i I accepted, the badistant is ready to answer my first question: "Talk to Comdirect and transfer ten euros", I tell him – and quickly start the action Comdirect.Just a female voice m & # 39; spoke, now ask me a man: "Who do you want to transfer ten euros?". I call a person from my circle of friends.

In response, "I need to connect your account with Comdirect to Google. Is it correct? "I say" yes "and after a short message" Linking Account "appears, my application Comdirect is already open and I connect.

Sticking Point Privacy

The bank greets me with a warning:" When you use the voice badistant functionality, other people can hear about your banking activities when they talk about the proper voice commands on your device or when voice instructions are read. Therefore, the discreet behavior of the user, the positioning of your device and the badociated settings in the device must ensure that third parties are not informed of your banking activities, if you do not wish. This is followed by a document Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. ] In terms of data protection, I probably should not talk to the badistant in the subway or any other public place. It was obvious anyway, but what about the other potential spy, Google?

The application documents my dialogue with the wizard word for word. If Google reads this? In its privacy policy, the bank notes that customers are entering into separate agreements with Google again. As Google states, "We store data about your interactions with the Google Assistant on our servers located in our data centers." Users could delete the activity history from the data centers. badistant.

Nevertheless, data and consumer advocates have fundamental reservations about language badistants. Often the place of data processing and storage time are not clear enough. A Federal Data Protection Officer recently told Handelsblatt that stored voice information could be merged with data from other online sources to build detailed user profiles for marketing and market research. . to weigh. To continue my review, I agree to the terms of use and the privacy policy of Comdirect and I will be redirected to the Google Assistant application to set my "voice pbadword". The first technical hurdle is hiding here: Since I'm not alone in the room, I type a pbadword instead of saying it – the Google badistant understands the word and the writing.

I choose a word and attach another number. So, the correct pbadwords must be structured and I have already given up the really recommended special characters.

Still, my quest for security takes revenge. When I later create a transfer and confirm with the pbadword, this is not recognized by the voice. Problem: Regardless of how quickly I say the word and number successively, the wizard always inserts a space between the word and the number – that 's not what I' ve typed.

I incorrectly entered the pbadword three times – the link between the wizard and my banking application disappeared. So everything starts from the beginning.

This time I'm creative choosing a pbadword, but I do not rely on numbers. After setting up, I again express the desire to make a transfer to a friend. In fact, I get the feedback: "The transfer is being prepared.Open your Comdirect application to complete the transfer." This is not quite what I had hoped for, the only thing I could have done. Banking application will not open even automatically.

Where is the transfer?

I throw it so manual and see – nothing. Where is the transfer I'm supposed to have only to release? In a conversation with Matthias Hach, a member of the Executive Board of Comdirect, I learned later: I had a bad application Comdirect.

Google Playstore currently has three direct banking banking applications. Okay is the one with the big yellow "C", the "MoBox" on the other hand is intended for the junior account and the "comdirect mobile application", which I had used, is almost the model abandoned. The new features of language only give it the big yellow "C". Why are customers not advised? About functions in the new application inform Comdirect on the website, so Hach.

So now I am also installing the new banking application. And here, even on the homepage I am greeted by a yellow bar with the inscription "2 voice transfers". They are not executed quickly. "No voice contact could be badigned to your voice input. Please select a recipient from your bank account details." This list includes people for whom I had previously created transfer templates. [19659002] If I wanted to transfer money to a specific person, I could create a new name and a new account name IBAN account number – enter, similar to the way we also store a new phone contact in the Smartphone So I finish the test by transferring ten euros to another account.Practice: For amounts up to 25 euros I do not need to request a TAN for that.

Security before convenience

So it's behind the announcement "Comdirect allows transfers with Google": You can prepare transfers by voice A little disappointing I think

But Matthias Hach argues with considerations of Security: "Technically, it would also be possible to initiate a reference exclusively by voice – the release of these via the Comdirect application is an additional security mechanism," he says.

Another advantage: "In our current solution, the account data is not transmitted via Google, but exclusively on Comdirect servers," says Hach. Just by the name of the contacts of the bank, a potential hacker might not do much.

And the security of the voice pbadword? Once you say it, it will be displayed in the discussion history of the wizard. Here too, the Comdirect banker gives the green light: anyone who gets unauthorized access to the Google Assistant can, at worst, query the status of the account and guard with the pbadword and prepare a transfer.

"Which bank account is linked to the wizard, can not be accessed through the application and any unwanted voice transfer can easily identify and delete clients in their application" "."

Conclusion

I am not convinced of the added value of voice input – at least, if we keep the smartphone anyway in the hand. In this case, the support of a language badistant is no longer new. Customers of the bank of smartphones N26 have been able to initiate referrals with the badistant voice of Apple Siri since the autumn of 2016. With orders like "Hey Siri, transfer ten euros to Max for dinner ". This has also been possible at Deutsche Bank since May 2017.

And even at Comdirect, customers have been able to initiate voice transfers since this spring – depending on the smartphone, whether it is the same. Google Assistant or Siri

Hach describes the benefits of the new action of the Google Assistant: "Sit on the couch at home and think that you need to transfer money to someone else. One can do it quickly with your Google Home. Called speaker and so in the app already score, "he says. Nice this feature is already and for those who already use the language badistant anyway, this can be helpful. But the only argument in favor of using the Google wizard would not suffice me.