GOV.UK app: terms and conditions
This page and any pages it links to explains terms of use for the GOV.UK app. You must agree to these to use the GOV.UK app.
Who we are
The GOV.UK app is managed by the Government Digital Service (GDS) on behalf of the Crown. GDS is part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and will be referred to as ‘we’ from now on.
Information about you and your visits to the GOV.UK app
We collect information about you in accordance with our privacy notice. Read our privacy notice for more detail about how and why we collect, use and share your personal data.
By using the GOV.UK app, you agree that we will collect information about you in accordance with our privacy notice.
Using the GOV.UK app
You agree to use the GOV.UK app only for lawful purposes. You must also use it in a way that does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of, this app by anyone else.
The GOV.UK app works on:
- iPhones running iOS 16 or later
- Android phones running Android 10 or later
We may automatically update the GOV.UK app regularly. We can change or remove content at any time without notice. Alternatively, we may ask you to update the GOV.UK app on your device. If you choose not to install such updates, or opt out of automatic updates, you may not be able to continue using the GOV.UK app.
Contact us if you:
- want to learn more about the GOV.UK app or have any problems using it
- think the GOV.UK app is faulty or misdescribed
Services and transactions
You can use the GOV.UK app to access online government services and transactions, for example apply for Universal Credit or register to vote.
These can be managed by GDS or another government department or agency.
Some services have their own terms and conditions which also apply - read these before you use the service.
Linking from the GOV.UK app
The GOV.UK app links to the GOV.UK website. You can read the terms and conditions for the GOV.UK website.
The GOV.UK app also links to websites that are managed by other government departments and agencies, service providers or other organisations. We do not have any control over the content on these websites.
We’re not responsible for:
- the protection of any information you give to these websites
- any loss or damage that may come from your use of these websites, or any other websites they link to
You agree to release us from any claims or disputes that may come from using these websites.
You should read all terms and conditions, privacy notices and end user licences that relate to these websites before you use them.
Using GOV.UK app content
Most content on the GOV.UK app is subject to Crown copyright protection and is published under the Open Government Licence (OGL), which also sets out which content is exempt.
If any content is not subject to Crown copyright protection or published under the OGL, we’ll usually credit the author or copyright holder.
You can reproduce content published on the GOV.UK app under the OGL as long as you follow the licence’s conditions.
Contact us if you want to reproduce a piece of content but are not sure if it’s covered by Crown copyright or the OGL.
Any other intellectual property rights in the GOV.UK app are owned by us or our licensors.
Unless it’s stated in the OGL, or we’ve given express and specific consent in writing, you agree that you will not:
- rent, lease, sub-licence, loan, provide or make the whole or any part of the GOV.UK app available to anyone else
- copy the whole or any part of the GOV.UK app, unless it’s necessary as part of normal use of the app, to back up information, or for operational security
- translate, merge, adapt, vary, alter or modify the whole or any part of the GOV.UK app, unless it’s necessary to use the GOV.UK app as permitted in these terms
- permit the whole or any part of the GOV.UK app to be combined with or incorporated in any other programs, except as necessary to use the GOV.UK app on devices as permitted in these terms
- disassemble, decompile, reverse engineer or create derivative works based on the whole or part of the GOV.UK app, nor attempt to do any such things unless it’s permitted by law
The most up to date version of our content will always be on the GOV.UK app.
We make most of the content on the GOV.UK app available through feeds for other websites and applications to use. The websites and applications that use our feeds are not our products, and they might use versions of our content that have been edited and stored for later use (‘cached’).
We do not give any guarantees, conditions or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of any content used by these products. We’re not liable for any loss or damage that may come from your use of these products.
Using the GOV.UK app outside of the United Kingdom
This app is intended for people who live in the United Kingdom. Although it may be accessed from outside the UK, the information and guidance provided (including responses generated by GOV.UK Chat) are based on UK government sources and may not apply in other countries.
Use of the GOV.UK app by children
The GOV.UK app, including GOV.UK Chat, is not designed for or intended to be used by children. You should not use this app if you are under 13, nor allow any child under 13 to use the app on your device.
GOV.UK Chat
Any terms and conditions relating to GOV.UK Chat must be read in conjunction with the rest of the terms and conditions on this page as these also apply to GOV.UK Chat, which is a part of the GOV.UK app.
GOV.UK Chat is an experimental artificial intelligence (AI) tool in the app. It is designed to help users find answers from the pages of GOV.UK. It is voluntary and free to use.
GOV.UK Chat uses AI to generate answers based on the questions you ask. It uses the information on certain GOV.UK pages to do this. When you are using Chat, you are not communicating with a person.
Information about you and your use of GOV.UK Chat
Read GOV.UK Chat’s privacy notice for more details about how and why we collect, use and share your personal data.
By using GOV.UK Chat, you agree that we will collect information about you in accordance with our privacy notice.
Withdrawal of access
We reserve the right to remove your access to GOV.UK Chat at any time, without notice, if:
- you breach these terms
- technical or operational reasons require us to suspend the tool
Fair use of GOV.UK Chat
You agree to use GOV.UK Chat for lawful purposes only.
You also agree to use GOV.UK Chat fairly. Each question generates a cost, so we may limit your usage or withdraw your access if we detect patterns of excessive use.
In addition, you must not:
- input any personal data unless it is essential to the context of your query (see below for more details)
- attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or attack the AI model or the GOV.UK Chat infrastructure
- deliberately try to make GOV.UK Chat give wrong or offensive responses
Putting personal data into GOV.UK Chat
You agree not to put any personal data into GOV.UK Chat, unless it is essential to the context of your query.
We use an automatic filter to remove certain common forms of personal data that may be put into GOV.UK Chat. If you include personal data and it is not removed by our filters, it will be processed within our system. Read about how GOV.UK Chat processes your personal data in GOV.UK Chat’s privacy notice.
GOV.UK Chat disclaimer
AI tools can sometimes make mistakes - for example they can provide inaccurate or inappropriate answers, or answers that are simplified or incomplete. You should always double-check the information using the links provided with each answer. You can find the links in the ‘GOV.UK pages used in this answer’ section under each answer.
While all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure GOV.UK Chat’s answers are relevant and free from bias, there may be cases where GOV.UK Chat’s answers are unreliable or offensive to some users.
You are responsible for checking the accuracy of GOV.UK Chat’s answers. You must verify any information provided in GOV.UK Chat responses before taking any action or otherwise relying on the information. GOV.UK Chat responses are not intended as a source of advice, and should not be treated as such. Responses should not be considered a substitute for independent professional advice.
GOV.UK app disclaimer
While we make every effort to keep the GOV.UK app up to date, the app is provided ‘as is’ and, to the extent permitted by the law, we do not provide any express or implied guarantees, conditions or warranties that the information available via the GOV.UK app, or any tools or features within the GOV.UK app will be:
- suitable for your individual requirements
- available
- current
- accurate
- complete
- free from errors, bugs or viruses
We do not publish advice on the GOV.UK app. You should get professional or specialist advice before doing anything on the basis of the content.
Except as otherwise expressly stated in these terms, we’re not liable for any loss or damage that may come from using the GOV.UK app. This includes:
- any direct, indirect or consequential losses
- any loss or damage caused by civil wrongs (‘tort’, including negligence), breach of contract or otherwise
- the use of the GOV.UK app and any websites that are linked to or from it
- the inability to use the GOV.UK app and any websites that are linked to or from it
This applies whether or not the loss or damage was foreseeable, arose in the normal course of things, was identified by you to us as being damage that might occur, or could have been considered by you or us as a possibility.
This includes, but is not limited to, the loss of your:
- income or revenue
- salary, benefits or other payments
- business
- profits or contracts
- opportunity
- anticipated savings
- data
- goodwill or reputation
- tangible property
- intangible property, including loss, corruption or damage to data or any computer system
- wasted management or office time
We may still be liable for:
- death or personal injury arising from our negligence
- fraudulent misrepresentation by us
- any other liability of ours which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law
Requests to remove content
You can ask for content to be removed from the GOV.UK app. We’ll remove content:
- in order to comply with data protection legislation covering the rights and freedoms of individuals
- if it breaches copyright laws, contains sensitive personal data or material that may be considered obscene or defamatory
Contact us to ask for content to be removed and explain why you think it should be removed. We’ll reply to let you know whether we will remove it.
We remove content at our discretion in discussion with the department or agency responsible for it. You can still request information under the Freedom of Information Act and the UK data protection legislation.
Virus protection
We make every effort to check and test the GOV.UK app for viruses at every stage of production. You must make sure that the way you use the GOV.UK app does not expose you to the risk of viruses, malicious computer code or other forms of interference which can damage your computer system or other device.
We recommend that you back up any content and data used in connection with the GOV.UK app.
We’re not responsible for any loss, disruption or damage to your data, computer system or other device that might happen when you use the GOV.UK app.
Viruses, hacking and other offences
When using the GOV.UK app, you must not:
- use the GOV.UK app in any unlawful manner, for any unlawful purpose, or in any manner which is inconsistent with these terms
- introduce viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or any other material that’s malicious or technologically harmful
- try to gain unauthorised access to the GOV.UK app, the server on which it’s stored, or any server, computer or database connected to it
- attack the GOV.UK app in any way, including denial-of-service attacks
- infringe our intellectual property rights or those of any third party in relation to your use of the GOV.UK app
- use the app or any service in a way that could damage, disable, overburden, impair or compromise our systems or security, or interfere with other users
- collect or harvest any information or data from any service or our systems, or attempt to decipher any transmissions to or from the servers running any service
- take any other action which could reasonably be considered harassment, abuse or malicious, disruptive, fraudulent or criminal behaviour
We’ll report any unlawful acts, attacks or attempts to gain unauthorised access to the GOV.UK app to the relevant law enforcement authorities and share information about you with them.
Ending your rights to use the GOV.UK app
We may contact you to end your rights to use the GOV.UK app at any time if you’re in breach of these terms and conditions. We may, but are not bound to, provide you with a reasonable opportunity to remedy any such breach.
If we end your rights to use the GOV.UK app, you must:
- stop using the GOV.UK app, including any activities authorised by these terms
- delete or remove the GOV.UK app from all devices in your possession
- immediately destroy all copies of the GOV.UK app which you have and confirm to us that you have done this
We may also remotely access any of your devices and remove the GOV.UK app from any one or more of them and prevent you from accessing the app.
Governing law
These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.
If you live in:
- England or Wales, you can bring legal proceedings related to the GOV.UK app in the English or Welsh courts
- Scotland, you can bring legal proceedings related to the GOV.UK app in either the Scottish or English and Welsh courts
- Northern Ireland, you can bring legal proceedings related to the GOV.UK app in either the Northern Irish or English and Welsh courts
General
There may be legal notices elsewhere on the GOV.UK app that relate to how you use the app.
We’re not liable if we fail to comply with these terms and conditions because of circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
We might decide not to exercise or enforce any right available to us under these terms and conditions. We can always decide to exercise or enforce that right at a later date.
Doing this once will not mean we automatically waive the right on any other occasion.
If any of these terms and conditions are held to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal for any reason, the remaining terms and conditions will still apply.
Changes to these terms and conditions
The latest version of these terms and conditions will be accessible via the GOV.UK app. Please check these terms and conditions regularly. We can update them at any time without notice. You should check these terms and conditions regularly to see if they have been updated.
Your continued use of the GOV.UK app at any time after any of the terms and conditions have been updated will constitute your agreement of the updated terms and conditions.
Updates to this page
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Terms have been updated to include information about the GOV.UK Chat feature, using the app outside of the United Kingdom, and use of the app by children.
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First published.