SINGAPORE – New features have been rolled out in the Government’s LifeSG mobile application, moving it one step closer to becoming a super app for public services.
Last Thursday (July 1), the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) added a new “Profile” function to the app that lets users see at a glance some of their personal information from public agencies.
For instance, they can view their Central Provident Fund (CPF) balances and their annual income assessable by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore for tax filing.
They can also see the government benefits and support they have, such as the amount left for their SkillsFuture Credit and SingapoRediscovers Vouchers.
LifeSG, which was developed by GovTech, provides government services to users at various stages of their lives, and cuts the hassle of navigating different websites and apps to access these services.
The apps’ new Profile feature also comes with an inbox and appointment function, which shows people the appointments they have with public agencies, as well as reminders for government transactions and events they signed up for through LifeSG.
Parents with young children will be the first group of users to benefit from the inbox, with reminders and guided notifications to help them with processes such as registering their baby’s birth and managing the child’s health or early childhood education.
The app’s eligibility checker, which helps users find government assistance or schemes they are eligible for, will include more schemes in the future. More than 30 schemes are currently listed.
LifeSG’s ability to recommend content, services and events that are relevant at different key points of someone’s life has been improved as well.
While some aspects of the Profile feature in LifeSG can be found in the Singpass app – such as users being able to see their CPF balances at a glance – the two apps have different functions.
GovTech explained that the Singpass app is geared towards enabling fast and secure access to government and private sector services.
LifeSG, on the other hand, consolidates government services across multiple agencies in one app to help people who are not familiar with the services navigate them more easily. The app also personalises content based on individual needs, said GovTech.
The new features in LifeSG are among the $3.8 billion worth of info-communications technology projects the Government announced on June 23 it would be spending on this year.
GovTech also said that the Government is on track to move most of its IT systems to the cloud. About 40 per cent of eligible systems, or almost 600, are already online. The target is 70 per cent by March 31, 2024.
The move was announced by the Government in 2018.
The intent is to speed up the delivery and improve the quality of services for citizens and businesses, while having safeguards in place.