- The United Kingdom Government has published a new application designed to make services more accessible
- The Gov.UK application has been launched in Beta as a directory for government websites
- The next features include an AI chatbot and a digital wallet
The digital service of the United Kingdom has published a new mobile application designed to facilitate access to government services.
The new Gov.UK application was launched in Public Beta for iPhone and Android phones on July 1, and currently offers users a way to quickly access 11 services categories, such as money and taxes, parenting and guardianship, and trips. Currently, these consist mainly in links of links to the Gov.uk.
Public beta launch means that the Gov.UK application is not really finished, and more characteristics are added with incremental updates.
Speaking with Techradar, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle said: “This application was internally designed by the new digital government center. From the first moment in which you log in, you will see a service that strives to adapt public services as an individual person.”
Kyle also defended the decision to publish the application as an unfinished beta version: “We have had private evidence with 1,300 people, now we have to go to the mainstream. Anyone who has seen how other applications in the conventional technological world [launch] You will know that you must move to high volume tests to really try the robustness of an application. “
As The Guardian reports, Kyle committed in January to launch the application in June 2025, and said: “The design is not as we would like it to be.”
Although the application has a fairly limited function at this time, it remains an important launch and forms a notable part of the digital strategy of the United Kingdom. There are 5 key things that you should know about the new application.
1. It’s out now
As mentioned, the GOV.UK application is now available through Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It is exclusive to smartphones, and there are no plans for a table version.
The application is available on phones that run iOS 16 or later, or Android 10 or posterior. Users log in through the logging system of the United Kingdom government, and a user must be at least 16 years to create an account.
Log in the application for the first time presents users a customization screen that is not different from those you see when configuring a social media account: a selection of categories is presented to add to your home page to reflect your priorities.
2. It is in Public Beta
The Gov.UK application is launching in Beta, which means that it is still technically in a test stage. In the technological world, ‘Beta’ refers to a software compilation prior to the launch that develops enough to be used by a broader audience, but still requires frequent updates, corrections and additions of characteristics.
At the launch, the application is more or less a directory of useful pages on the Gov.uk website, but there are plans to bring more functions and characteristics to the application itself.
The Secretary of Technology Peter Kyle said that one of the first characteristics after the launch would be the capacity of claimants for benefits to generate evidence of their claims electronically.
The application will also eventually be integrated with the next Gov.UK wallet application, providing a digital space for cards and documents issued by the Government: Kyle confirmed to Techradar that this will be launched for the day of the memory (November 11), and that the first compatible card will be the veteran card of the HM armed forces.
After this, the wallet function will obtain support for a totally digital driver’s license from the United Kingdom by the end of 2025.
3. You will get an AI chatbot for September
The characteristic after the post-launch that reaches the Gov.uk application is the chat gov.uk, a chatbot of ia based on Claude de Anthrope.
This is a chatbot of AI designed to help users find relevant information, write forms and letters, and better understand government services.
“People may have intuitive and human conversations about any area of interaction with the government,” said Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, “will report that people will touch the people who follow the steps they need.”
Kyle added: “It has been trained in 700,000 pages of public information available. It has not been trained in private information […] There is no security threat that comes from this. There is no indication that they have access to private data that can reach the public domain. “
Kyle confirmed that Chat Gov.uk function would be launched in September 2025.
4. Your private data will not be shared (without consent)
Make essential government services accessible through a mobile application, naturally, comes with some security concerns, particularly when it comes to the visibility of these data to suppliers of application stores and telephone manufacturers such as Apple and Google, and the partner of the application, Anthrope.
Speaking with Techradar, the Secretary of Technology Peter Kyle said: “Person’s private data will not be shared outside the government. The only data we collect in the application are there to serve you. These are data for use, so that we can meet him as an individual citizen, and everything is done with his consent.”
Kyle added: “We will not do anything unless we have your consent to do so.”
5. It is tailored to you
A useful aspect of the Gov.UK application is the way the application adapts to your personal habits and circumstances.
Although optional, users can enter their postal code in the application to receive advice and updates about their local authorities, as well as the services available nationwide that the application refers by default.
Techradar understands that the application does not track the location beyond the location data entered manually, such as postal codes or travel locations.
Each category section also has a recently visited pages tab to facilitate the access of information and services required regularly.
Having tried the Gov.uk application for me, I can see the value of having a somewhat personalized portal and easily accessible to essential government services available at any time on your phone.
However, I find myself questioning if this launch has arrived too early. The objective of a public beta version is to test, but it seems that many of the most useful features are absent from this version, which could make users properly evaluate the usefulness of the application.
Would you download and use this application? Let us know in the comments below.
