Saudi Tawakkalna App Resolves Technical Issues

A technical issue prevented access to the Tawakalna application in Saudi Arabia.
A technical issue prevented access to the Tawakalna application in Saudi Arabia.
TT

Saudi Tawakkalna App Resolves Technical Issues

A technical issue prevented access to the Tawakalna application in Saudi Arabia.
A technical issue prevented access to the Tawakalna application in Saudi Arabia.

Registered users in Saudi Arabia can now access the Tawakkalna application to prove their health status before entering public places.

The Tawakkalna management announced on Friday night that the technical issue that restricted access to the app during the past days was resolved.

“The app is working properly, and users can use it to show their health condition during their visits to government departments, shops, and malls,” it said.

“Work is also in progress to restore all features, such as Covid-19 Test Booking. Digital identities, Dashboard, and others," it added.

Tawakkalna is the official application approved by the Saudi Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Further, the Tawakkalna management highlighted that under the supervision of a highly qualified Saudi team, the app worked properly and did not encounter any technical issues since its launch on May 11, 2020.

The management said that the app's services were efficiently and effectively provided to over 9.7 million users even in moments of high numbers of registration. It is also noteworthy that the number of registered users jumped to 12.5 million (%22.5 increase) in only three days.

Sign-ins' attempts reached 250 million in the past few days due to the requirement of showing the Health Condition via Tawakkalna to enter worksites, shops, and malls.

This increase caused an overload and instability; however, quick and temporary alternative solutions were provided, as text messages containing information about users' health conditions that were sent to Tawakkalna users.

Tawakkalna management thanked all users for their understanding of this technical problem, and it urged them to update the app.

In support of the Kingdom's efforts to respond to COVID-19, the management also emphasized that it will continue providing high-quality services to all citizens and residents.

The app, launched last year to help track Covid-19 infections, has seen a surge in registrations in recent days as a number of regional governors called for establishments to put stricter entry restrictions in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.



Apple and Google Face UK Investigation into Mobile Browser Dominance

The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake
The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake
TT

Apple and Google Face UK Investigation into Mobile Browser Dominance

The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake
The logo of Google LLC is shown at an entrance to one of their buildings in San Diego, California, US, October 9, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new UK digital rules taking effect next year.

The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said, The AP reported.

“This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices,” the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on “mobile ecosystems.”

The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers “the clearest or easiest option.”

And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two US Big Tech companies “significantly reduces their financial incentives” to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.

Both companies said they will “engage constructively” with the CMA.

Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.

Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system “has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's “committed to open platforms that empower consumers.”

It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the dominance of Big Tech companies. US federal prosecutors this week unveiled their proposals to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser as they target its monopoly in online search.

The CMA's final report is due by March. The watchdog indicated it would recommend using the UK's new digital competition rulebook set to take effect next year, which includes new powers to rein in tech companies, to prioritize further investigation into Apple’s and Google’s “activities in mobile ecosystems."