The Digital Ministry has announced that its MyGOV Malaysia mobile app is now available via open beta. It is said to be developed entirely in-house by the Malaysian government – or more specifically, by the National Digital Department (JDN). The ministry means for the app to be the national super app that ties together 34 government service apps.
In other words, you can use the app to renew your road tax, check for outstanding summons and pay for them, or simply to check personal documents like the MyKad or driver’s license. That being said, not all of them will be available immediately. The ministry says that this process “is a journey, not a sprint”.
On one hand, the ministry says that it’s launching the full version of the MyGOV app on 23 August. But if you want to, you can already download the app and see what it offers right now. Signing in does require the use of the MyDigital ID though.
At a glance, the home page of the MyGOV app is reminiscent of the UI of an ewallet app. Most of the important features are up at the top, though notably, half of these are not yet available. You can also check the weather here, though it’s unclear why you’d want to do it here and not elsewhere. The same applies to the news, as well as government TV and radio channels at the bottom.
In between the two is the list of services accessible via the MyGOV app which, again, half are not yet available. One notable example here that I thought was a tad odd, bordering on funny, is the Education-related services. You can look up results of some exams like your SPM and MUET, but only if you’ve taken them within the past two or three years. Which means that this section is only usable, therefore relevant, to a very small percentage of the population.
Throughout my time looking at the MyGOV app though, I’ve not found a way to change the app’s language. On one hand, it’s the national super app, so it’s understandable that it’s in Bahasa Malaysia by default. But on the other, I’d be quite surprised if the app exits its beta stage with only one operating language.
The ministry notes that “data privacy and security remain our priorities”, for what it’s worth. There’s also the claim that “Cybersecurity Malaysia’s expertise” and secure verification powered by the MyDigital ID ensures that “every access and transaction is protected”.
