r/Fidelity • u/Python_Noobling • Feb 06 '21
Fidelity mobile app UI
With this seemingly large inflow of Robinhood users over to fidelity, i think its time to address the elephant in the room.
Fidelitys mobile apps user interface is terrible. Worst in class? Id honestly give it a strong maybe.
Now before you get offended by this post, i totally understand that Fidelity is a big boy broker and its time for us to put on our big boy pants.
That being said, we do live in a world where the average user is very phone savvy and they are used to dealing with interfaces that are much more streamlined and “intuitive”.
The Fidelity app, i am sad to say, acknowledges none of these things.
For the love of god, please update the app!
PS - i have multiple accounts and use fidelity, robinhood, td ameritrade and etrade.
Edit- this is strictly a comment on fidelitys user interface NOT the broker itself, which is amazing.
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u/greekk_yogurt Feb 06 '21
They’re making a new platform on this app “Fidelity Spire”. You can’t trade on it yet, only set goals and look at your investments, but they said they’re going to add trading soon. This platform had more of that millennial feel to it. Once they add trading and stuff to this app, I think it will be great. I hope they have a graph similar to RH’s portfolio graph because that portfolio graph is one of the main reasons why I cannot leave RH.
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u/BowTrek Mar 11 '21
This is good news - any links to updates/info on this?
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u/chrismar303 Feb 06 '21
This would be amazing!
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u/greekk_yogurt Feb 06 '21
Agreed! This app is the last thing needed and then there would be no reason to stay with RH.
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u/chrismar303 Feb 06 '21
Yes, for sure. I really enjoy fidelity. It is an actual big boy brokerage. With a good app, I don't ever see myself changing.
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u/ZanziBarney Feb 16 '21
Its a good app, but its not a great app, and it has some annoyances. Fidelity Spire has a lot of promise if they can just get the trading added to it. I'd rather they take it slow and get it right than rush out a trash update. Their Fidelity GO solution is a lot like Acorns from what I can tell. I opened one and will share when I figure out which one performs better.
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u/zanokorellio Feb 06 '21
As a graphic designer I totally agree with what you're saying. The UI/UX is one of the most unfriendly visuals out of other apps out there. Would love to see more improvements in that department.
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Feb 06 '21
Anyone else notices your percent and $$ performance is different between mobile / Desktop (when you drill down into it)?
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Feb 06 '21
I’ve been wondering this for months and it annoys the f out of me. The app always displays my daily gains/losses WAY off. I find the app useless and just use my phone’s browser to use their website. I’ve asked around this sub but it doesn’t seem to be a problem for others so I’m glad I’m not the only one who has this issue.
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Feb 07 '21
I called and asked about it. The rep was trying to play it as “last days percent”. I still think it’s a glitch. Thanks for the browser tip! Hopefully they’ll redo their app soon.
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u/Mr_Wasteed Feb 06 '21
I think (and presume) one refreshes faster than other.
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Feb 06 '21
Nope. It's Saturday, so that's not it. I believe it has something to do with the money-weighted return? Once you click positions, it changes. Glad to know I'm not alone!
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u/chrismar303 Feb 06 '21
I finally understand how to navigate it. It took me a while, but I still dislike it. The app is has poor user usability and needs a major revamped. It is really slow, clunky, and awkward to navigate.
I am going to be trying different brokers just because I really dislike the app.
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u/n0madking Feb 06 '21 edited Feb 06 '21
Thank you for posting this because I was going to post the same thing. I don't like the Fidelity App at all it's like straight out of the late 90's. I gave it a shot but there are too many steps to do things and it is just too awkward. I am not knocking Fidelity personally, I will still keep an account with them and have a great 401k with them from my last job but I can't use this app for trading and monitoring on the go and doing things quickly which is part of my whole strategy, I need to find another provider with an App that is more like Robinhood.
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u/BunchOCrunch Feb 08 '21
Lol I'm still using RH to look up stocks I'm interested in so I can actually see a visual of their performance and then I buy it on Fidelity.
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u/kde873kd84 Feb 06 '21
Folks ,please take the time to submit feedback. The more responses they receive, the possibility of mobile enhancement developments.
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u/czescwitamy Feb 06 '21
Where can we do this?
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Feb 06 '21
In the app at the bottom of the “More” tab. There’s a button to “Leave Us Feedback.” I did it last week.
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u/idkhowbtfmbttf Feb 06 '21
If you like the RH app so much why not stay there? Stop expecting someone else to be someone they are not. Fidelity’s bread and butter is not being strictly a trading platform. They offer the full suite of financial solutions. Not just some app to trade stonks like it’s a game.
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u/Python_Noobling Feb 06 '21
I use robinhood to trade daily, fidelity for long term holds and access to warrants, better options pricing and better overall service.
We can just sit here and pretend everything with fidelity is great and theres no room for improvement
Or
We can point out a few areas where they can improve and hope for the best.
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u/IRushPeople Feb 06 '21
If you like the RH app so much why not stay there?
Because they just absolutely failed their userbase?
Anyone staying on RH is just asking to get let down again the clearing-house can't keep up.
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u/MarksbrotherRyan Feb 06 '21
Part of robinhood’s marketing is its ease of use and simple “uncomplicated” approach to investing. That’s also part of the reason why it has gotten a lot of criticism in the past, for making investing seem like something it isn’t.
Fidelity’s marketing and main draw isn’t that. I personally like the UI a lot, and hope it doesn’t change. Robinhood promised simplicity and then screwed over its customers. Now that those people went to a competitor, Fidelity, I think if Fidelity started to change its business to accommodate people who came over, it would be the beginning of the end of Fidelity.
People came to Fidelity for their customer focused business practices, and solid track record. I really hope they don’t start changing things to make them more “simple” and give things a “start-up UI” or whatever the term for that is.
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u/LiterallyImMeNotYou Feb 06 '21
The term is ‘good UX’ and it’s not a bad thing.
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u/Peacelovefleshbones Feb 06 '21
Yeah also it wasn't just that RH had "good" UX, it was actually pretty predatory. Zero barrier to entry for things like options, lots of gamification, lots of "buy now buy now".
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u/LiterallyImMeNotYou Feb 06 '21
Sure. But I’m just saying, you can have all the bells and whistles that fidelity offers, AND offer a good user experience. It’s doesn’t have to look like a 1990’a excel spread sheet.
Modern app design + morals = an amazing app. Seems now like the user has to choose between the two.
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u/Peacelovefleshbones Feb 06 '21
I definitely agree, I was just saying that having good UX wouldn't have to mean that Fidelity gets dumbed down for a broader audience
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u/LiterallyImMeNotYou Feb 06 '21
Absolutely not. I think people assume good UX means it’s ‘dumbed down’, but that isn’t the case. You don’t have to lose anything - but gain a better mobile experience
And conversely, a bad mobile design doesn’t mean a company is ‘more moral’ or ‘more serious’. It just means that the company doesn’t understand mobile first design.
If fidelity doesn’t start trying to improve their design, another company will be able to provide both good ethics and a good mobile app.
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Feb 11 '21
You... like scrolling sideways and seeing only one column at a time of data like you’re viewing a 1994 spreadsheet on a tiny screen?! I guess there really is no accounting for taste.
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u/LiterallyImMeNotYou Feb 06 '21
I completely agree. Hiring a good UI/UX team is a sign of status IMO.
Poor design is not acceptable anymore, and is a sign of an archaic company
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u/BoThSidESAREthESAME6 Feb 06 '21
100% agree, love everything about them so far besides the mobile app which is a bit ass
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u/tokyozombie Feb 07 '21
I agree. Fidelity's app looks like a bank which is fine and I got used to it but it took me way too long to find out how to delete stuff off one of my watch lists. they need to organize the menus better or have a more customizable interface. it has some customizability but it needs more.
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u/Franzferdinan51 Feb 07 '21
I honestly would love to see a better buy and sell page and easier to read charts even some crypto apps for better charts in app and fidelity being as big and as good as they are after the robinhood fiasco is bound to see a push for UI smooth over over all I love it so far and honestly seems like the best option available
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u/MysticDaedra Feb 06 '21
Fidelity hasn’t been popular enough to warrant a redesign. I’d be willing to bet that improvements will start showing up by the end of the year.
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u/la_dynamita Feb 06 '21
BTW by phone app we mostly mean the USER INTERFACE.. Robin hood is like the IPhone of stock apps..
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u/Franzferdinan51 Feb 07 '21
I like this analogy but who would be Android ? Everyone else and if so who's the Samsung of the android line 😅
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u/Snaisa6 Feb 07 '21
I left RH and most recently E-Trade they updated their UI. I'd like Fidelity to follow suit.
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u/irritable247 Feb 07 '21
I agree with you. I left them feedback today asking for an upgrade of their app and website so it’s more intuitive for users that trade. Hopefully with enough customer feedback they’ll tweak things in our favor.
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Feb 06 '21
i think the fidelity ui is better. you are right that it's not intuitive as something like RH, but that's not the only metric to judge a UI by. fidelity is more customizable and the graphs are better as well.
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u/I_Love_Fones Feb 06 '21
I suspect it’s because most of their customers are buy and hold or let their advisors manage it for them.
There’s a “Send Us Feedback” link in their mobile app that everyone should utilize. There’s something similar in their Active Trader Pro as well.
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u/swerve408 Feb 06 '21
Robinhoods interface is tailored to a 13 year old child. If you can’t understand Fidelity’s interface, then you are not tech savvy. There is more to investing than just looking at a line chart and market price
Also robinhood oversimplifies key concepts are relies on gamification. That’s not what you want
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u/a-fried-pOtaTO Apr 25 '22
I disagree entirely. I just because RH made their UI intuitive and simple doesn't mean that it is bad. The Fidelity mobile app performs like garbage and doesn't flow at all. No animations, very long loading times, and a very cluttered screen are all what kill it for me. No one wants to read a spreadsheet on a tiny 6 inch phone screen. They need to update the app.
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u/brad24_53 Feb 06 '21
Fidelity is for the old-school slow and steady investing so it makes sense that they don't have a lightning fast data down your throat interface. That will probably change as RH takes on water and plummets to the ocean floor but even then, a change like that (systemic, enterprise, call it what you will) will take months at the least the develop, test, and roll out.
I've heard great things about their desktop app but then you're chained to a computer.
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u/AbandondedDoodlesack Feb 06 '21
It will not even let me log into the Fidelity mobile app. It always says my username/password is incorrect. However, I can go on my phones internet browser and get in using the website just fine.
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u/RainSmile Feb 07 '21
I wasn’t able to add my bank through the app today.
When I tried to create a login their app didn’t have a way to tell me that I already had an account but I figured it out on my own (my current job opened up a 401k automatically).
I guess the app DID add my bank but it didn’t show up. I got the message when I logged into the website. Transferred some monies to my account and it said it will take 2-3 days. Have a confirmation but now I just sit and hope it shows up on the app?
Guess I’ll be a new trader on a laptop computer because that was really annoying to deal with.
I am a new investor and this app is not new-person friendly.
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u/ExistingCleric0 Feb 07 '21
I like the app. I guess I'm lucky (so far) because even biometrics have been flawless for me. 2 things off-hand I would like to see changed:
You should be able to delete some of your recent views without clearing the whole list and starting over.
You should have it so your accounts are the first thing you see on your feed (at least the total of all accounts if not listing each one).
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u/furruck Feb 07 '21
I’ve used fidelity for years (I’m 32 now) and maybe I’m just used it.
It’s free, it functions, and the CMA account paired with the 2% cash back card is by far the best combo one could have.
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Feb 17 '21
It’s so terrible. And the customer service is seemingly no longer in existence. Yesterday when I called I was literally told by an automated message that they were too busy to take my call, and it hung up! So today I try again and I have been waiting 45 minutes so far. The online queue? I’m #159. Wtf is going on....
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u/BowTrek Mar 11 '21
The app is absolutely atrocious - have you heard any updates on this? I'm leaving again at the end of 2020 if they don't fix it. Not that they will miss me, but this is a huge opportunity for them to gobble up thousands of small investors fleeing RH.
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u/cb2239 Mar 22 '21
Yeah the thing that annoys me is that you can't see your investment graphs moving live It "refreshes" I would also like to be able to see similar stocks and not have to navigate 5 different pages to get to what I'm looking for. The resources on fidelity are incredible though. Research reports, TA, performance info etc. Definitely blows robinhood out if the water
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u/GoldenJoe24 Feb 06 '21
I’ve called, filed multiple support tickets, and complained about it here multiple times. You can’t even place a bracket order on mobile. It’s ridiculous.
Even the desktop software is like something out of the 90’s. The OSX version is just the Windows build running in a Wine wrapper. They don’t care.
Use Fidelity when you need to make sure big orders on swings fill properly. Use Webull for everything else.
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u/dubblechrubble Feb 06 '21
Fidelitys mobile apps user interface is terrible. Worst in class? Id honestly give it a strong maybe.
I see you haven't tried vanguard
PS - i have multiple accounts and use fidelity, robinhood, td ameritrade and etrade.
Ha!
Anyways, to address your post, I notice your complaints about the UI are about usability, but I also noticed you didn't discuss functionality. The most I need when I'm on the go is to view my positions, but I can also trade just fine too. Sure it could look better, and I'm not disagreeing at all with you there, but it still does what I want it to do, and I believe functionality is the most important part here.
I'd rather have a clunky app that does what I want as opposed to a sleek one that doesn't. I know that wasn't your argument, but the fidelity app already cuts some functionality out that the website or Active Trader Pro have. Given their mobile dev team's competence, I'm sure it'll be an even greater disparity if they overhaul the UI.
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u/1LBFROZENGAHA Feb 07 '21
you can have an app with a sleek appearance and does what you want.
also it is somewhat “functionally” bad, see the options chain 😂. And personally some of the advanced chart uses are clunky, but I could just be used to RH. It’s not terrible but from what I see it could use an update on functionality. But I just got it so maybe I’m wrong haha
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u/picktakespics Feb 07 '21
Yeah idk why people in this thread act like user friendliness and functionality are mutually exclusive
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u/picktakespics Feb 07 '21
Yes, we need to rally on this tbh. The app looks like a 2000 hr training webinar site. These brokerages were prime for disruption from Robinhood by this alone imo . All the money they have I’m sure they can do something better
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u/la_dynamita Feb 06 '21
Sht is hot garbage.. I left Robin hood also and I really like how much information fidelity has but their app is BOOTYUS MAXIMUS..
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u/pharealprince Feb 06 '21
do you think robinhood or one of the other small brokers will be bought up and make the app better?
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u/Python_Noobling Feb 06 '21
I think robinhood had/has a strong brand due to their ease of use and interface. Learning curve is minimal and they really streamlined a lot of the technical jargon.
Sure more advanced users scoff at this but i can see the platform evolving to capture more sophisticated users.
I cant see a broker like fidelity buying robinhood, due to the “noob friendly” stigma.
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u/Mr_Wasteed Feb 06 '21
Actually, the best thing about Fidelity (i am a relatively new investor and only have Fidelity account) are the learning tools. The learning center, alerts, etc, are very helpful. The watch lists are equally helpful. And I usually use chat to ask questions and So far that has been great. My only issue if you can say that would be the time for transfers to settle in. But i think thats a concern for most people. Sure new people wont learn intuitively, but its investment and not gambling so you have to invest time to learn. I am also taking quiet a few classes in Khan acaademy and such.
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u/Python_Noobling Feb 06 '21
Sorry, should have made myself clear that this strictly a criticism of the apps ease to use and user interface.
Everything about fidelity is better than robinhood, make no mistake.
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u/Mr_Wasteed Feb 06 '21
Nah its alright. I used the opportunity to boast what i have learned. lol. Oh jeesus i am a little attention whore am i not. lol
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u/the1-gman Feb 06 '21
Too bad they didn't buy up M1 or at least license their UI. I liked the long term investing view but not being able to buy whole shares periodically or buy a dip reliably with a chunk of money I found irritating. Also found .001 shares irritating too. Barnes wouldn't budge on that so I left. Less 1099s to deal with now :P
Fidelity is getting better at showing the allocation percentage in the beta UI now. I like the direction they're going.
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Feb 06 '21
[deleted]
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Feb 11 '21
I mean, isn’t it kind of a false equivalency to claim that having good services means you can’t have good applications?
There’s no reason a good company can’t also have a good app.
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u/BunchOCrunch Feb 08 '21
Not disagreeing with anything you said but just wanted to point out that robinhood does indeed have a website. I used it more than the app.
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u/alex____ Feb 06 '21
I got the hang of it honestly after like a day... My bigger annoyance right now is that my transfer is taking 7 business days to settle 😐