One of life’s more tedious chores could soon become much more automated. USAA, a Texas-based bank, plans to release an update of its iPhone application this week that lets customer make deposits using the device’s camera.

The app will work by letting customers take a photo of both sides of the check and then submitting it to USAA. According to The New York Times “customers will not have to mail the check to the bank later; the deposit will be handled entirely electronically, and the bank suggests voiding the check and filing or discarding it.” USAA also allows customers to make deposits using a scanner.

A new product for community banks or could this approach scale for the larger banks and their millions of customers?