Limitations and known issues

Running BankID Web-client in third-party browsers on iOS

Although iOS won't let users replace Safari as the default browser with another app, there are a number of browsers available in the App Store that offer features that make these browsers preferable to some iOS users. These apps include browsers such as Google Chrome, Dolphin Browser, iCab Mobile and more.

Common for all third party browser applications on iOS is that they are restricted to using Apple's browser window, UIWebView, and the functionality that is built in to this class.

While some of the applications have implemented functionality to open links in a webview in a new tab, others have not. This means that users running the BankID Web-client in certain third-party iOS browsers will be unable to perform a PDF signing action. This is because the link to open the PDF file (see 5.2), although set to open in a new tab or window, replaces the page where the BankID Web-client is loaded, thus leaving the BankID session in limbo.

PDF signing is confirmed to work in Mobile Safari (native browser), Dolphin browser and iCab Mobile. 

PDF signing is confirmed NOT to work in Google Chrome for iOS, and Opera Coast for iOS.

Using BankID Web-client for PDF signing in Android

On Android too, browser application developers have chosen different implementations when it comes to handling links to PDF files. The various implementations we have seen all allow the users to complete the PDF signing transaction, although the user experience differs greatly: 

• Browser offers the PDF file as an Intent, thus allowing other applications capable of opening PDF files to handle the display of the PDF file.
• Browser downloads the file to the local file system, and provides a notification in the Android notification center. The user must click on the link in the notification center to open the file, and then locate the browser containing the BankID session to continue the signing process.
• Browser opens the PDF file and displays it in a new tab inside the browser. The user must close the tab in order to return to the BankID session to continue the signing process.

There may be other implementations of PDF display in other Android browsers, the above list is not exhaustive.

Using BankID Web-client for PDF signing in Windows 8 Phone / RT

There are no known issues using the BankID Web-client for PDF signing in Windows Phone, as long as an external PDF reader such as Adobe Acrobat has been installed from the Windows Store.

Browser will download the PDF file and open it in the external PDF reader. User must hit the back button to return to the browser and resume the BankID transaction.

iOS interprets numbers in XML as phone number and makes it into a link

By default, Safari on iOS detects any string formatted like a phone number and makes it a link that calls the number. Specifying telephone=no disables this feature.

Merchants may put this meta tag into its XSL to prevent this feature from being activated. 

Read more about the format-detection meta tag here: https://developer.apple.com/library/safari/documentation/AppleApplications/Reference/SafariHTMLRef/Articles/MetaTags.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40008193-SW5 

Big SVG files or elements may cause failure on slow connections

The WebClient collects various data from the client application runtime environment for fraud detection purposes. There is a known issue when integrating the WebClient in an environment that includes huge SVG elements that may cause the WebClient to occasionally fail on slow connections.

Beware when integrating the WebClient that the size and complexity of the client application may impact user experience, especially on slow connections. The WebClient is equipped to be able to handle issues like this, but it may not cover all cases.