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The UK government has finally launched a new mobile app that allows Britons to access thousands of public services on their smartphones and pave the way for new digital ID cards.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said the new gov.uk app will be launched as a “beta” service that only connects to existing government websites, but the new gov.uk app will streamline access to public services, but will renew your passport.
The app is part of a multi-billion pound cost-cutting drive across Whitehall, which relies on digitizing civil servants, using AI for administrative tasks and replacing postal communications with online channels.
Earlier this year, Sir Kiel Starmer said that digitalization could bring up to £45 billion in savings and productivity benefits across the public sector each year.
The “beta” version of the app that launches for iPhone and Android devices on Tuesday provides more than a set of bookmarks and shortcuts to existing government websites.
Each user can choose from one of the 11 most frequently used topics, including perks, care, parenting, taxes, and travel. The app also tracks previous searches and tracks the local council website when users enter their zip code.
By the end of 2025, Kyle has promised a “very rapid rate of progress” over the coming months, including the launch of an artificial intelligence chatbot designed in collaboration with American humanity.
“What we’re on now is the warm-up wrap,” he said. “Now, by the end of this year, we will be in the main race.”
The new app was designed in-house by the UK Government Digital Services (GDS) unit, which launched the original gov.uk website in 2012.
Its 700,000-page site is used 88 million times a month, with over half of the visits from mobile devices being used. This is a process that is designed to simplify dedicated apps. It was developed by a core team of 32 people within GDS.
Kyle said the app “hopes to help Royal Mail end the scandal that provides so much information.
The launch of the UK government’s “super app” comes several years after similar services were introduced in India, Poland, Ukraine and Singapore.
India launched its Unified Mobile Application (UMANG) in 2017, providing access to hundreds of local and central government services in over 12 Indian languages.
In 2013, GDS leadership argued that realigning the regular web pages on smartphone screens would “rarely justify” investment in mobile apps.
That position has changed following the popularity of the dedicated NHS and HM Revenue & Customs apps and the expectations of younger users for the “mobile-first” service, officials said.
Kyle proposed a one-stop shop app for public services shortly after Labour took office last year.
“To me, this is a progressive cause, because (public) people are usually serving the (some) people most to those who are in areas with low incomes or deprived, or are growing in harsh conditions,” he said.
The project is “fully on track” to “start the rollout” of digital driving licenses by the end of the year, he added. This will initially be available via the new digital wallet app. This will later be folded into the main Gov.uk app, he added.
