Glitch in SingPass Mobile app fixed

The glitch that marred the launch of the much-anticipated SingPass Mobile app has been fixed, said GovTech.

GovTech, which developed the app, said yesterday that since Monday's launch, there have been more than 20,000 successful SingPass Mobile app installations.

The agency told The Straits Times that the issue of error code 121, which many users encountered on Monday when trying to register the app, was due to a software error which was not picked up during testing. This resulted in issues when many users tried to register for SingPass Mobile.

"We have resolved the issue, and encourage affected users to try registering for SingPass Mobile again," said GovTech, which also apologised to these users.

With SingPass Mobile, users just need to scan their fingerprints or faces to securely access hundreds of e-government services after a one-time registration.

This means Singapore residents will no longer need to create complex passwords, memorise them and carry the OneKey security token when accessing their Central Provident Fund accounts, filing tax returns or paying parking fines.

The app's inherent biometric features solve the problem of users creating easy-to-guess passwords and compromising their security, or others sharing passwords freely with friends or, worse still, with scammers.

GovTech receives about 150,000 requests every month from SingPass users to reset their passwords.

There are 3.3 million SingPass users today.

They can still log in using passwords, as there will be a transition period for people to migrate to biometric authentication.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 24, 2018, with the headline Glitch in SingPass Mobile app fixed. Subscribe