Abu Dhabi: Residents in the emirate of Abu Dhabi appear to be unaware of the availability of most customer service apps from government departments, despite their easy availability and the number of transactions they claim to enable.
Even though platforms such as Android’s Google Play and iPhone’s App Store feature high ratings for many apps, many who have downloaded them appear unconvinced about their effectiveness. As a result, few in the emirate use the apps on a regular basis.
“I think it is a brilliant idea that government departments have taken the initiative to make services available to people in the most convenient way. But these are no use if the apps do not work when needed,” said a 26-year-old media executive in the capital. She had tried to book a taxi using the Department of Transport app a number of times, but was successful only once. “There was simply no response from the app and, after waiting for 20 minutes each time, I simply contacted their call centre,” the user added.
Although many of the apps are highly rated on Android’s Google Play and iPhone’s App Store, user comments that provide details often point out that there are many bugs that need to be ironed out.
For example, a review for the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s (Adec) i-Adec app, which allows users to search for schools and communicate concerns to education officials, reads “Buggy application. Very poor”.
Another common complaint among expatriates is that information is only available in Arabic, even when the user selects English as the language of operation.
However, there are also a handful of positive comments.
“A simple and useful application for the residents/doctors in Abu Dhabi who [are] looking for information [on] health care,” a Google Play user who identifies himself as Roshan Prasad says in a user review about the Health Authority Abu Dhabi app. “The look and feel of the first release is really impressive. Hope to see more Haad e-service applications in future releases.”
Boasting more than 50,000 downloads, the app by the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments (Awqaf) is also highly rated, especially as it provides accurate prayer times and written versions of the Friday sermon each week.
Google Play users also provided favourable reviews for the mgoverment application by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, which provides a list of all government apps in the country.
Gulf News’ reporters tried out various government apps. Here is their rating on a scale of 1-5.
i-Adec
What is it? It is the official app for the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), Abu Dhabi emirate’s education sector regulator, and provides the latest news about the authority. Some of the most interesting features are a school finder, and the ability for users to send suggestions and comments to the Adec.
Download time: About 2 minutes on Android (5,000 downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection. Also available on iOS.
Features
School finder: Allows users to look for institutions using various search items, including school name.
News and videos: Direct access to news, announcements and videos released by the Adec.
Publications: Provides copies of latest documents by the Adec, such as newsletters, policies, standards and school leadership handbook
GeoFeeds: Users can send their concerns and suggestions to the Adec, along with photos
Efficiency: The app often fails to start up, especially on shared Wi-Fi connection. User comments also report that it has a lot of bugs. Gulf News failed to open it, despite repeated attempts. Moreover, many of the features are also available on the Adec website, which runs much more quickly and efficiently than the app.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD)
What is it? The app provides access to services by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Haad), the official health-care sector regulator in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Key features include the ability to look for a doctor or a health-care facility, a body mass calculator, and links to pages providing data about banned medicines.
Download time: About 3 minutes on Android (1,000+ downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection. Also available on iOS.
Features
Information and releases by the Haad: Includes the mission and contact details of the Haad, as well as a location map, latest news and links to circulars released.
Guidelines: All kinds of Haad standards are available through this icon, including licensing standards for schools and health professionals, as well as procedures for health insurers.
m-services: Users can search for doctors, health-care facilities, 24-hour pharmacies, approved sick leaves, and medicines using a variety of search variables. There is also a body mass index calculator and links to a list of banned drugs.
Efficiency: Although the app has been downloaded by just over a 1,000 users, it is well-constructed and has received excellent user reviews. The search facilities provide helpful lists, along with contact details of each facility, and should be particularly useful for people looking for physicians of a particular gender or speciality. The only drawback, if it can be considered so, is that guidelines and medical documents must be downloaded before they can be viewed. It also does not provide an option of switching to Arabic.
Rating: 4 out of 5
SEHA
What is it? This is the official app for the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, which manages and operates public health-care facilities in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. It allows the user to locate public hospitals and clinics, and read up about available services.
Download time: Within a minute on Android (1,000+ downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection.
Features
The app is available in both Arabic and English, and is updated at regular intervals
Hospital details: Each public hospital is listed, along with contact details, emails and websites.
Contact Seha: Details to contact the company are available through the app.
Maps: There are maps available to guide users to the nearest Seha facilities.
Efficiency: The application, despite its many convenient facilities, does not work smoothly, and often forces the phone to shut down. In addition, the maps also fail to find nearby Seha facilities. However, the majority of user comments are largely positive.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Jobs Abu Dhabi
What is it? An app built by the Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Company, it provides listing of employment opportunities in the emirate and allows the user to apply for them. The applications and details are also synced with any changes made by users on the Jobs Abu Dhabi website.
Download time: Within a minute on Android (10,000 downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection.
Features
Search: Allows people to search for jobs using the title, skill or company name. Users can apply for jobs listed on the application, as long as they have a profile registered on the site.
My job applications: This feature enables users to check on the status of previous applications.
My Personal Info, My CVs: Resumes uploaded on to personal profiles can be viewed and edited here.
Efficiency: The interface is very smooth, but every functionality requires the user to log on to the main webpage. Although the search facility is useful and easy, many of the results turn out to be irrelevant, especially when searching with the use of job titles. And, despite its many downloads, user reviews are largely mixed.
Rating: 1 out of 5
MOL
What is it? This official Ministry of Labour application promises to provide access to services that are most commonly used by customers. It aims to provide more channels of interaction with the authority.
Download time: Within two minutes on Android (10,000 downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection. Also available on iOS.
Features
Information services: These give the user access to the latest news about the ministry, as well as its mission statement and a message from the Minister of Labour.
Rules and procedures: This lists various regulations, procedures, documents required and fees for ministry services and approvals, including those needed to apply for and renew labour cards, work permits, establishment licences and brokerage agency licences.
Enquiry services: The status of any document or approval can be checked by entering the relevant reference number.
Labour services: Residents can complain about unpaid dues, or check their employment contract simply by entering their passport number, date of birth and nationality. In addition, a link provides a copy of the UAE Labour Law and answers frequently asked questions.
Contact details: There is a general contact number listed, and links show the location of various ministry branches around the UAE.
Efficiency: Despite the extremely low number of downloads, this app is clearly one of the best designed of the lot. It functions smoothly, and actually gives users access to information that they may not always be privy to. The interface is also colourful, and people will benefit greatly from the convenient access to various rules and procedures.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
AWQAF
What is it? The General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowment’s app provides a number of services for Muslim residents, including prayer times, a list of fatwas and scholarly rulings, and locations of the nearest mosques.
Download time: Within three minutes on Android (50,000 downloads as June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection. Also available on iOS.
Features
Fatwa: Users can call, mail or text the authority to enquire about existing fatwas, or ask for scholarly decisions on specific issues. An archive of previous fatwas is also included.
Waqf: This can be used to make donations, quickly and simply.
GAIAE: The vision, mission and latest news about the authority is updated here.
m-donation: Using this and an e-dirham card, one can make donations to orphans, or towards health care, education and community service for the needy.
e-books: This features a number of books on Islamic rituals and acts of worship, including alms-giving (zakat), fasting in Ramadan and prayer (Salah).
Masajid: Users can update themselves about daily prayer time, or locate the nearest mosque.
Friday khutba: The latest Friday sermons are uploaded as both text and audio files. Moreover, users can provide suggestions for sermon topics they would like scholars to explore or speak on.
Hajj and Umrah: In addition to explaining the rites of the pilgrimages, the app also provides details of Emirati missions.
Other features: There is also information and pictures on one of the capital’s most prominent mosques, the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which can accommodate more than 40,000 worshippers at a time, and features attractions such as the world’s largest chandelier.
Efficiency: This is one of the most widely sourced apps, having been downloaded more than 50,000 times, and it has an abundance of features. Despite a few bugs, it could be very useful for Muslim residents, and could also come in handy for tourists who are looking to locate a mosque. The platform is also well-organised, and serves the purpose well.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
50,000+ downloads
mgovernment
What is it? Set up by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), this app provides a list of all mobile applications offered by government entities in the UAE.
Download time: Within a minute on Android (10,000 downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection.
Features
Language and location: The app is fully operational in both Arabic and English, and based on the user’s location information, government applications are categorised according to emirate.
Push notifications: The user can enable immediate updates regarding newly released apps.
Downloads: Through the mgovernment app, users can directly download new programs.
Efficiency: The interface is very basic, but clean and user-friendly. This one is for the smartphone user who must download the latest apps and see if they add value in any way. Essentially, it is an app store solely for all UAE government applications. However, it does not list every single application out there. Users have also asked for more apps to be added to the list.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
MCYCD
What is it? The official application for the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development offers an insight into UAE cultural news, and also allows users to book certain ministry-affiliated cultural venues.
Download time: Within three minutes on Android (100+ downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection. Also available on iOS.
Features
Announcements: This section present a list of the latest initiatives by the ministry, and associated press releases. This is the place to watch if you are looking for news about the authority.
Galleries: Work by photographers and calligraphers is featured on the app, although these cannot be shared and are simply for viewing.
Cultural centres and venues: Information is available on halls and centres operated by the ministry, and users can place a booking at any of these.
Upcoming features: A number of icons say that information is ‘coming soon’ about events and activities. A number of ringtones will also be provided.
Efficiency: The app looks and feels very sleek, and features beautiful Arabic scripts for backgrounds and headings. However, much of the information is only in Arabic even if the user has selected English as the operational language at the start. The app also has a tendency to freeze, and often needs to be restarted.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
Darb
What is it? A Department of Transport (DoT) initiative to combine several transportation-based features into a single application. These include ordering taxis from an automatically detected location, finding the shortest and fastest routes to a certain destination and paying Mawaqif parking fees. The application is available in Arabic and English.
Download time: Within one minute on Android (5,000 downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection. Also available on iOS.
Features
Incident and construction finder: Locate any nearby traffic accidents or construction areas using the integrated map. Users can also report incidents including non-functional traffic lights, damaged bus shelters, construction areas, or holes in the ground, among others.
Mawaqif: Users can request driving directions, pay for their parking or be transferred to the Mawaqif website.
Ferry and bus stations: Ferry routes from Jebel Dhana to Delma Island and back can be found. Additionally, a list and location of all of the capital island’s bus stations is available, all of which can be located on the map.
Bus stops: Bus stops within a 500-metre, 750-metre or 1-kilometre range can be located.
Airport services: Airport terminal locations, parking information, flight details, airline directories, luggage regulations, business services and airport hotel information, in addition to directions to the airport, can all be accessed.
Efficiency: Darb has a comprehensive set of options and is very intuitive and user-friendly. The majority of traffic-related transactions that would normally require an unnecessary amount of time to be done over the phone, such as ordering a taxi or paying for Mawaqif, can all be done through Darb. Although some issues with automatic geographic location detection were faced, the rest of the application functioned smoothly. Signing in may be required to access some features.
Rating: 4 out of 5
UAE-MOI
What is it? A Ministry of Interior application that covers the four main branches of the ministry including Traffic and Licensing, Naturalisation and Residency, Police Headquarters and Civil Defence.
Download time: Within one minute on Android (50,000+ downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection. Also available on iOS.
Nearest service centres: The nearest Civil Defence service centre and police stations can be found depending on a user’s current location.
Visas and passports: A list of documents required for the different types of visas can be found in one place allowing users to be prepared during visits to apply for or renew their visas. Information on applying or renewing UAE passports and family books is also available, in addition to details about fees and other requirements.
Other services: List of services that can be done through the ministry’s four major branches is readily available. Information on fees, eligible benefactors and nearest service centres for specific facilities.
Tracking: This allows the ministry to track the location of users, or their children, for security purposes. This can be useful in case individuals get lost. This option is not automatically activated and requires users’ permission.
Emergency: Individuals can contact emergency services by calling or sending a text message (SMS).
Efficiency: Application was slow on start-up and required an update. It may run a little slow in some sections. Looking up the fines against a certain licence number plate was not working. It is most useful for finding out necessary documents to perform certain procedures. Looking up and paying for traffic violations is more efficient through the website.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Visit Abu Dhabi
What is it? A user-friendly way to navigate through the capital available in a range of nine languages both online and offline. Essential services for visitors and residents including currency converter and prayer timings all available.
Download time: Around two minutes on Android (1,000+ downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection.
Features
Attractions: Contains details on some of the capital most popular tourist sites including the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Abu Dhabi Corniche, Al Ain Oasis, the Arabian Wildlife Park, among others. All places come with a contact number and location, in addition to tour timings for some and a website.
Restaurants and hotels: A list of hotels, bars and dining areas can be filtered by type of cuisine, area, or sorted in alphabetical order.
Shopping: Malls, souqs, souvenir shops, and high-end stores can all be located. This section provides users with information about bargaining, normal opening hours and Ramadan timings.
Events: An overview of upcoming events including concerts, art exhibitions and theatrical displays can be accessed and sorted by month or year. A short description about each event is also available, including its location and running time.
Photo-gallery: This includes pictures and videos of the capital’s scenery, wildlife and sport activities.
Others: Other services include FAQs, weather updates, prayer times, a currency converter, a list of important facts about Abu Dhabi.
Efficiency: Very well-organised, accurate and detailed, this application is ideal for visitors and beneficial for residents wanting to explore the capital in detail. It also looks very colourful, and an extensive FAQ list provides guidelines on local cultures and traditions. All in all, this is one of the most useful apps, especially for those who like travelling and exploring.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Abu Dhabi Police
What is it? An Abu Dhabi Police application that aims to provide users with quick traffic services such as looking up traffic fines and paying them.
Download time: Around three minutes on Android (10,000+ downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection. Also available on iOS.
Features:
Fines inquiry: This can be done by either using the vehicle owner’s driving licence information, the owner’s traffic code or by the vehicle’s number plate. The traffic code is also required for inquiry by vehicle number plate.
Prayer times and weather: Prayer times can be accessed by prayer, day and month. Detailed weather updates are available including minimum and maximum temperates expected, humidity, temperature and wind direction.
Efficiency: Apart from prayer times and weather information, the application is fairly useless without the Traffic Code. Many users have complained of the same problems adding that too many details are required for paying traffic fines.
Rating: 2 out of 5.
UAE MOFA
What is it?
The official app by the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you can use this for information on the ministry’s attestation services, visa, overseas missions, announcements and travel advice, etc. UAE citizens can also use this app to get assistance from the government when they are abroad.
Download time: Less than one minute on Android (5,000+ downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection. Also available on iOS.
Features
Contact details: Users can access contact information of the ministry, and its embassies across the world. UAE nationals can also register with Tawajudi service, update their information, and get assistance from the UAE embassies across the world.
Documents and attestation: Information on attestation service provides location of centres, required documents and fee for each document to be attested, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.
Information: User can check information on how people of various nationalities can obtain UAE visas, or they are directed to various embassies that can provide the required data.
Travelling instructions: Basic checks and tips are included in this section, including advice to obtain medical checks before travelling and to consult with bank on whether funds can be accessed abroad.
General news: Important announcements from the ministry are posted here.
Efficiency: All information has been provided clearly, which is very helpful to the users. Although users can select between English and Arabic, two features geared toward Emiratis appear in Arabic only.
Rating: 4 out of 5
ADFCA Customer Application
What is it? This is the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority’s (ADFCA) app, and it provides news and information about the entity. It also allows the Authority’s customers, such as farmers and food outlets, to carry out some transactions.
Download time: Less than two minutes on Android (100+ downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection. Also available on iOS.
Features
My services: Supplied information on services for farmers and food outlets. Users can also can carry out some transactions if they first register through the profile feature.
Publication: Provides food safety laws, policies, regulations, decrees and guidelines that can be useful for industry executives.
About ADFCA: This includes basic information on the Authority, its events, its contact details and locations of its offices.
Efficiency: The given information is clear, but caters to farmers and food outlets only. This is not meant for the public to report food safety violations, for example, although this would be a useful feature for many other residents.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Emirates ID Smart Services
What is it? Emirates Identity Authority’s app helps all UAE residents to manage their national ID cards, which is a mandatory document to prove their identity and to carry out many official transactions.
Download time: Less than two minutes on Android (5,000+ downloads as of June 12), using a shared Wi-Fi connection.
Features
Registration and renewal: Residents can register for their IDs and can apply for renewal on their own through the app when 30 days remain for ID expiry.
Notification: User are informed when their ID is due to be renewed.
Application status: Once a user has applied for a new ID, he can track the status of the cardCheck status of applications and track the card issuance.
Location: A detailed map shows the location of Emirates ID registration centres and typing centres.
Upcoming features: Although these services are not yet functional, users will soon be able to apply for new ID cards or replacements. Emiratis will also be able to register additions to their family tree.
Efficiency: The app is efficiently designed, and easy to use. Customers can save a lot of time, especially when renewing their IDs. The app is especially beneficial, given that every resident in the UAE needs to renew their IDs regularly. However, it requires users to register on start-up.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
