Image credit: gov.uk
Earlier this week, the Government launched the first version of its new GOV.UK app, with the hope of offering everyone a simple, secure way to access public services all in one place.
The app is designed with ease in mind and aims to ‘put public services in your pocket’. Users can now access services such as retirement support, travel advice and benefit entitlements from a smartphone without needing to use the official government website, fill in endless forms or spend hours on the phone. The app also allows users to personalise their homepage to enable them to quickly find the services most relevant to them.
“Our new GOV.UK app shows for the first time how this government is overhauling taxpayer-funded services as we deliver on our Plan for Change,” says technology secretary Peter Kyle.
“By putting public services in your pocket, we will do away with clunky paper forms and hours spent on hold, so you can immediately get the information you need and continue with the rest of your day.
“This release of the GOV.UK app is just the start.”
Keen to see how it could help Saga Magazine readers, we gave it a go at the official launch. Here’s all you need to know.
After downloading it on to a smartphone from the Apple App Store or Google Marketplace, users can build the app around their personal circumstances, life events and services.
Each user’s homepage can feature any combination of the below 11 topics:
The personalised homepage will then provide access to these services right away, doing away with the need to scour the internet each time to find the relevant details.
The aim is for users to be able to get information, request support or change their details with the right government service with ease.
The technology secretary says the app has been designed to be “safe, simple, and familiar, and is suitable for all ages”. In terms of security, it is similar to trusted banking apps and features two-factor authentication and facial recognition, with clear communication about how your data is used and identity and personal information protected.
The GOV.UK One Login has been designed to ensure users won’t need to remember lots of different passwords.
The app is aimed at the whole of the UK population and users can pick which topics are relevant to them. For example, the benefits area has a section dedicated to payments for older people and users can also check their pension credit, apply for a free bus pass, see if they’re eligible for a free TV licence and discover whether they qualify for the winter fuel allowance.
There is also a section dedicated to retirement, in which users can check their state pension forecast and how to increase it, find their retirement age, and browse step-by-step guides on planning retirement income and other pension advice.
Other sections include driving and transport – where you can renew your car tax – and travel, which includes links on renewing or replacing your passport plus foreign travel advice.
The app has been released in ‘public beta’ meaning technology is still being worked on extensively, so expect lots of additions over the coming months. Over time, new tools and functionality will be added to the app and later this year an AI chatbot will be launched – GOV.UK Chat – with the aim of giving users quick and reliable answers to users’ specific questions.
There will also be a digital wallet so people can easily carry around different forms of identification. The first of these to be added is the Armed Forces Veteran Card, which Kyle says, “will benefit the people who have kept our country safe”.
Many veterans are unaware of the discounts they can receive and don’t often carry their card with them, so this will make it easier. It is hoped the digital driving licence will also be added to the app later this year.
No, though there is a health and disability section, which allows users to do things such as apply for a blue badge or PIP (personal independence payment). The NHS app will continue to be used for everything medical including appointments, screening invites and test results.
The government tax app will also remain for completing tax returns. Personal data between the apps will not be shared.
Not at all. The app has been brought in to “save people wasting time on life admin” but there is no obligation to download or use it. If you are happy with how you organise your affairs, then you can continue to do it that way. Letters will still be sent out and you can pay bills in person if that’s your preference.
The app has been designed to bring key government services together in a simple, more convenient way. The Government also hopes it will ease pressure on certain departments so they can concentrate on more pressing matters by cutting down on phone and in-person requests.
The Government's website has links for both Android and iPhones to download the new free app.
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