Back in July 2025 the GOV.UK app went live, marking a significant moment in GDS’s ambitions to provide the public with better, more joined-up services. It enabled people to start to access GOV.UK content in a personalised and more convenient way for the first time, part of our commitment in the Blueprint for modern digital government.
Hundreds of thousands of people have downloaded the app so far, but this is just the beginning. The next year will see us continue to make significant improvements to the GOV.UK app, building on the strong foundations already established, and making it even more useful for the people downloading it.
A look back
At launch, we knew we had strong foundations for an app that would offer people a whole new way to interact with government and to navigate information and services.
We can see the app’s personalisation features have made a big difference for users. Lots of people are choosing to tailor their homepage around the services that matter most to them, also taking advantage of previous searches, so they don’t have to start from scratch.
We published initial insights a few months after the app launched, and we’re pleased to see that more than half of users are customising the app, using custom topics to get to the information and services they need more quickly, or connecting to their local council.
20% of users are using the local services function to access information about local Council Tax, housing support, parking and bin collections easily and quickly.
The latest feature we added was GOV.UK Chat to provide clear, AI-enabled answers to your questions 24/7. Thousands of people are now finding the government information they need quickly and easily using it, with popular topics including tax, benefits, driving and transport. Unlike commercial AI tools, answers are drawn only from official GOV.UK content, so you know the information is up to date and based on trusted official guidance. Together with the native AI-powered search bar, this reflects a huge shift in how people can interact with GOV.UK content.
Users have asked thousands of questions, including:
- “I have overpaid my taxes for the last year can I apply for a refund”
- “is there financial help for someone who is unable to work?”
- “I had a provisional license but lost it. How can I renew it”
One year, made simpler
Throughout the year, we’ve been iterating the product and doing frequent user research. In October we ran a customer app survey to make sure the product is working for users and providing real benefits for them. And our users have told us:
- “Was much simpler to set up than I originally thought, love you can choose what’s relevant to your own circumstances”
- “I like the fact that you can save your address so you can see your local services”
- “Very organised, educational, and user friendly”
What’s next
Over the next year, we will deepen the personalisation experience and enhance the AI capabilities of the GOV.UK app, including bringing new information into the app experience. Later this month, we will test the ability for users to view their driver and vehicle information from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) directly in the GOV.UK app, previously mentioned in the roadmap. We’ll look to make it available more widely later this year. Sign up here if you want to be a part of this test.
We will continue to develop Chat to further improve its ability to help people cut through complexity and get easy to understand answers in seconds. We are also exploring how agentic AI could deliver even greater benefits for users, supporting them to complete tasks and navigate to the correct support more easily.
We are passionate about continuing to improve based on ongoing user-centred research, data and design, to make sure our technology works for everyone, enabling millions of people to download the app, and experience a true transformation in the way they interact with government.
Subscribe to our Inside GOV.UK blog keep up to date with the latest on the technical work going on.
Minister for Data and Digital Government, Ian Murray, said:
“In its first year, the GOV.UK App has shown how much people value simpler, faster and more joined-up public services. With over 600,000 downloads, it’s helping people access support more easily – from applying for a driving licence to accessing childcare support – saving time and making everyday tasks simpler.
“We’re now focused on building on that progress, with more personalised services, stronger connections across government, and responsible use of AI to get people the information they need quickly and easily.”
Download the GOV.UK app today.
