The SaveME 999 app is currently the most talked-about app in Malaysia after the government urge Malaysians to download it via an SMS blast.
Besides being overly complicated to sign up for and use, many users have complained that they couldn’t complete the registration due to a 500 error.
It turns out the error is caused by a poorly designed app and it’s an issue that could have been avoided with basic UI/UX knowledge.
Error 500 is “username is taken”
According to the FAQ, published on the MERS website, the Error 500 message will be displayed if the entered username has been taken. To solve the issue, you’ll need to use a different username instead.
What’s frustrating is why the developer chose to display a vague error message instead of simply stating that the username is taken.
To make matters worse, this message only pops up towards the tail end of the registration process.
To recap, this Error 500 issue only comes up after completing the following steps:
- Verifying the OTP via email
- Create a username
- Create a Password
- Confirm Password
- Entering your full name and IC number
- Complete MyKad verification
- Enter Contact Details and Emergency Contact
- Enter home address.
That’s a total of 6 steps required just to be informed that your username is taken! Why didn’t the app check for username availability on the same page itself?
At the very least, the app should prompt users to change their username. Or better yet, just use the mobile number or email address as the login ID.
No Labuan option in SaveME 999 registration field
Another complaint made by users is the lack of Labuan on the state list. It shows all 13 states including federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, but there’s no Labuan.
Digital Ministry should rectify SaveME 999 flaws urgently
The SaveME 999 app which lists Jabatan Digital Negara as the developer has received appalling reviews on the Apple AppStore with 1.5 stars ratings. Meanwhile on the Google Play Store, the app is now rated at 1.4 stars.
The Digital Ministry which has a major responsibility in the digitalisation of the public sector should take a serious look at the SaveME 999 app. Such rookie mistakes are unacceptable for an app that’s tasked to handle critical emergency services in the country.
Based on the flaws and challenges faced by citizens, it is probably better to pull back the SaveME 999 app and remind all Malaysians to call 999 for all critical emergencies. Meanwhile, the govt should stop sending SMS asking people to download the app as it causes unnecessary confusion that the app is the only way to report an emergency.
Emergency SOS apps such as SaveME 999 should be frictionless. Users should be able to report an emergency as quickly as possible without the need to worry about logins and registration.
As highlighted by TM, the 999 emergency hotline remains operational and active as usual. In a joint statement together with Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Health, it clarified that the SaveME 999 app functions as an additional channel to seek help.
TM also acknowledged the issues of delayed emergency responses, following the migration from MERS 999 to NG MERGS 999, and it remains committed in treating every reported incident with the highest level of priority. It added that the NG MERS 999 system performance was affected by the sudden spike in calls from 50,000 per day to nearly 70,000 per day.
To mitigate the issue, they have increased their server capacity and mobilised additional resources in the call centre to cope with the high volume of calls.
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