Scots eager to register for the new Covid passport app have been left confused after it failed to appear in many Google Play and Apple App Store searches.
A QR code is now needed to enter nightclubs and large events like football matches — though this won’t be legally enforced until later this month.
But many people using phones to search for it on Google Play Store and the Apple Store have struggled to find it.
Most have instead received results for other Covid or health apps.
Even typing in NHS Scotland Covid Status – the app’s official name – does not bring it up on Google Play Store.
However, entering certain key phrases — which have not been published by health officials — appears to be a more successful approach, while links to the app are available on the NHS website.
Smartphone users have vented their frustration about the situation on social media.
One user claimed the app came up 33rd in one search on Google Play Store – adding: “What a shambles.”
Another wrote: “It doesn’t come up in a search on the app store – I had to go via the NHS Scotland website.”
If you type NHS Scotland it is number 33 on the search results on Google app store. If you type nhs scotland covid status it bring up zero results. What a shambles.
— Bogweed (@bogweedtwit) October 1, 2021
Even those who do manage to find the app, which launched on Thursday night, are reporting issues with being able to register.
Users are being presented with an error message after entering details such as name and date of birth and providing ID.
The app states: “No match found. Sorry we were unable to find you using the details provided. Please review your information and try again.”
Other error messages have said people’s efforts to register are “unsuccessful”, or that their picture is not recognised before it is even taken.
The Scottish Government has said the teething issues are likely to have been caused by the public’s rush to register at the same time.
On Thursday night, a spokesperson said: “Some people may be experiencing issues which are likely to be caused by extremely high initial traffic and a large number of users trying to access the app at once.
“We advise people whose data is not found to try again a couple of hours later.”
Meanwhile, there are also reports that students – including some in St Andrews – are unable to use the app because they have foreign passports.
The vaccination certificate app for Scotland, which went live a few hours ago and will be legally required to enter places from tomorrow, seems to be going well so far I see. The play store search fails to find it even with the exact name pic.twitter.com/WMBPffS45L
— julesh (@_julesh_) September 30, 2021
Opposition politicians claim the Scottish government “only has a few hours” to put the introduction of the passport scheme on hold to prevent a weekend of chaos.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said the SNP must immediately order an “indefinite delay” to the plan.
Rangers FC have already told fans to carry proof of vaccination to enter Ibrox in Sunday’s match versus Hibs.
The Scottish champions say supporters should bring a hard copy of their vaccination status if possible, although digital copies will also be accepted.
So far, most of the thousands of people who have downloaded the app have given it a one-star review.
‘Should have been much simpler’
Edinburgh Napier University Professor Bill Buchanan OBE, a UK tech expert, insists the app should have been quite a simple tool to produce.
He said: “It looks over-engineered and not tested at scale or for usability.
“The previous website [used to print off proof of vaccination] worked fairly well for matching, so I don’t understand why they didn’t just integrate that with an app.
“The previous system produced a PDF that was unsecured and not digitally signed, so they should have perhaps fixed that and ported it to an app.
“It should have been much simpler than what they have rolled out.”
‘Issues are being fixed’
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “More than 70,000 downloaded the app yesterday (Thursday).
“This huge demand did mean that some people experienced delays and we are sorry that happened.
“We have now increased the capacity of the NHS systems that sit behind the app – where most of the issues causing delays have occurred – in order to deal with demand and, as a result, we are seeing increasing numbers of people now able to access their records.”
Which search terms worked and which didn’t?
On Google Play Store:
Covid Status Scotland – No
Covid Scotland – No
Covid app – No
Covid vaccine passport app – No
Covid vaccine Scotland – No
Vaccine passport Scotland – No
NHS Scotland vaccine passport – No
Scot NHS – Yes (fifth on the list)
NHS Scotland Covid passport – No
On Apple App Store:
Covid Status Scotland – Yes
Covid Scotland – Yes (14th on the list)
Covid app – No
Covid vaccine passport app – No
Covid vaccine Scotland – No
Vaccine passport Scotland – No
NHS Scotland vaccine passport – No
Scot NHS – No
NHS Scotland Covid passport – No
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