Users of EBICS Self-Service find appropriate switching instructions here.
To switch to George ID, please select the appropriate guide based on how you have been using George Business so far.
You are using the George Business app and the s Identity app on your smartphone/tablet.
Step 1
Once George ID is available, you will receive the message “Don’t wait any longer: Hello George ID” in the George Business app. At the end of the introduction, choose between “Yes, approve the switch” and “Not now.”
Click the “Yes, approve the switch” button to start the transition.
Step 2
Read carefully in s Identity whether you are being asked “Would you like to activate George ID as your new approval method?” and click “Approve.”
Important! If the question differs, make a note of the text, click “Cancel,” and contact our George Business Helpdesk, available 24/7, at +43 (0) 50100 – 50320 for clarification with our support team.
Step 3
After approving in s Identity, the message “Thank you …” will appear. Click “OK” to return to George.
If you are not redirected automatically, please switch back to the George Business app manually.
Step 4
The George Business app will briefly display the message “One moment please… I’m setting up your George ID on this device.”
Step 5
Please now set up your George ID PIN. This PIN will be required for approvals in the future if you do not use biometrics or if biometric recognition fails. During the initial setup, you must enter the PIN twice.
Important: Protect your George ID PIN just like a card PIN.
Do not use your debit/credit card code or easily guessable sequences such as social security numbers or “1234”.
Do not write down your PIN, do not share it with anyone, and never store it on your device.
Step 6
You can now additionally enable biometrics for approving orders if you wish. However, the George ID PIN will still be requested if biometric recognition does not work.
Step 7
Confirm the message “You have a new George ID” by clicking “Done.” You can now remove s Identity from your device, as the device linkage was automatically lifted when activating George ID.
Have you been using the George Business app on multiple devices?
If you use the George Business app on several devices, you will need to set them up again, as they were disconnected during the transition. You can find instructions for this here.
You are using George Business only on your computer and have the s Identity app on your smartphone/tablet.
You use George Business and the s Identity Desktop app only on your computer.
FAQ
After switching to George ID, you can generate an activation code yourself in the George Business app for an additional device. As was already the case with s Identity, you can obtain activation codes from the George Business Helpdesk, from your advisor, or—if you are an authorized user with a debit card—also from self‑service terminals of Erste Bank and Sparkassen that are marked as “George-enabled”.
If you are a George Business user, you can request a George ID activation code from your company’s administrators.
All information about this can be found here.
No, this distinction no longer exists. Activation codes obtained from customer support, the service center, or from a self-service terminal no longer differ in terms of pairing. Likewise, George ID activation codes issued internally by George Business administrators do not distinguish between pairing the George Business app and George ID on a computer.
However, activation codes that users generate themselves from an already paired mobile device (under Profile – silhouette icon in the top right corner / Login & Approval / Add new device) are only suitable for pairing an additional mobile device (smartphone or tablet) with a camera function. Read all details about this here.
We will prompt you to switch exclusively within George Business. We will never ask you for your authorized user number/user number, telephone number, passwords, or a “verification of your identity” in connection with the migration.
Important: Never disclose personal data if you are asked to do so by email, letter, or phone. Do not confirm personal data or authorize test transfers. End suspicious calls immediately and contact us right away—e.g. via the George Business Helpdesk at
+43 (0) 50100 – 50320 (Monday–Friday: 7:00–19:00).
Tip: In our Security Center, we warn you about all currently known fraud methods.
It works very similarly to what you are already used to, except that no additional app is required if you already use the George Business app. Approval takes place directly within the George Business app.
If you use George Business on a computer, start the login as usual by entering your authorized user number/user number, then open the George Business app, compare the verification number, and approve the login.
If you use George ID on a computer for approvals, first start the login in George Business on the computer by entering your authorized user number/user number. Then open George ID on your computer (Windows or macOS), select “Load transactions” in the bottom right corner, compare the verification number, and approve the login.
cardTAN will remain unchanged for you. If you use George Business exclusively on a computer, there will be no changes to the usual process for logging in or approving orders.
A small change applies if you reinstall the George Business app in the future: instead of a PIN, pattern, or biometrics for Easy Access, you will only have the options George ID PIN and optionally biometrics available.
You define the George ID PIN yourself during the initial login. It cannot be changed to match the EB PIN for your card reader. The PIN can consist of 4 to 8 digits.
From then on, every time you open the George Business app, you must either enter your chosen George ID PIN or confirm via biometrics. However, for approving orders, a valid cardTAN code—generated from the combination of your debit card/TAN card, EB PIN, and order data—is still required.
If you already set up the George Business app in the past using a pattern, PIN, or biometrics, nothing will change for you. These older Easy Access methods remain active until you reinstall the George Business app.
We are sorry that you have concerns. From a technical perspective, this would not be necessary. George ID and our technical systems are state of the art and fully comply with all legal requirements.
With George ID, approvals must still be confirmed using an additional security feature—your personal PIN or Face ID / fingerprint (biometrics).
If you have concerns, you can continue to use cardTAN. With this approval method, the approval code is generated using your debit card (or TAN card) and a small device called a TAN generator, ensuring a physical separation between George Business and approval.
Tip: In our Security Center, we warn you about all currently known fraud methods.
The s Identity desktop app for computers is being replaced by George ID on the computer. This solution is also available for Windows and macOS devices.
If you currently use the s Identity desktop app, we will inform you directly in George Business how to switch to George ID on your computer. The download for George ID on the computer is provided via this link.
Without the s Identity app or the s Identity desktop app, you cannot independently approve the migration to George ID within the processes shown in George Business. If you uninstalled the s Identity app before switching to George ID, you need an s Identity activation code to reinstall and set it up again. All information about this can be found here.
Alternatively, you can switch directly to George ID:
Users can do this directly via their George Business administrator, who can provide them with a George ID activation code.
Authorized signers are best switched via customer support:
- Visit us at a branch during opening hours.
- Our advisors will switch your authorized signer to George ID and provide you with a George ID initial activation code.
- Delete the George Business app and reinstall it.
- Set up the George Business app from scratch.
- Due to the branch-based switch, the setup will be completed directly with George ID. You will no longer need the s Identity initial activation code or the s Identity app.
Note: For the migration to George ID, our advisors 반드시 require a valid photo ID for identity verification.
Important: Migration to George ID by advisors is only possible at branches of your own institution. For example, as a customer of Steiermärkische Sparkasse, only at Steiermärkische Sparkasse branches—not at Erste Bank or Sparkasse Oberösterreich branches.
Both the mobile George Business app and George ID for computer support multiple accounts, allowing you to switch quickly and easily between authorized signers without having to enter an activation code each time (this is only required during initial setup).
On mobile devices, however, this works only if the first authorized signer/user set up in the app has already been migrated to George ID. If you first pair an s Identity account in the mobile George Business app and do not migrate it to George ID, the “Additional authorized signer number” button will not appear in your profile, and you will not be able to pair another account in the app.
George ID on the computer does not work for s Identity accounts and requires immediate migration to George ID when you log in, as described in the migration guide. If you have authorized signers who must temporarily remain on s Identity (e.g. for George Business), you must keep the s Identity desktop app installed in parallel and use either George ID on the computer or the s Identity desktop app, depending on the signer.
Yes, this is possible. Open the app and select the silhouette icon in the top right corner to access your profile. Then go to “Login & Approval” and, in the “Biometrics” section, select either “Log in with biometrics” or “Approve with biometrics” (on iOS, this section is called “Face ID”).
If you deactivate biometrics, the George ID PIN will be requested instead. To reactivate biometrics, you must re-enter your George ID PIN. Please note that the PIN always remains active as a fallback method and will be requested if biometric recognition fails.
To switch to full mode in the George Business app, open the app and select the silhouette icon in the top right corner to access your profile. Go to “Login & Approval” and select “App mode”. Choose “Use all George functions” to switch to full mode.
Please note that this requires restarting the app. You can also switch back to “Approval Only” mode at any time if you wish.