The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) announced today that new functions will be launched in the iAM Smart mobile app on July 11 to further enable citizens to register for and upgrade to iAM Smart+ which supports digital signing.

With mobile phones that support the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, users can upgrade their iAM Smart app to the latest 3.5.0 version to read the card face data from their new smart identity (ID) card chip, and easily register for or upgrade to iAM Smart+ on their own.

This would save the hassle of visiting self-registration kiosks or service counters in person, the OGCIO pointed out.

People who have not registered for iAM Smart can directly register for an iAM Smart+ account by downloading and using the new version of the mobile app.

To enable the existing iAM Smart users to upgrade to iAM Smart+ by themselves, the OGCIO will gradually issue a push notification inviting them to get the upgrade. Existing iAM Smart+ users need not register again.

The steps for upgrading to iAM Smart+ include taking a single shot of the front of the new smart ID card and placing it near the NFC antenna of the mobile phone, followed by facial recognition to verify the identity. The mobile phone concerned must be using iOS 14.0/Android 12.0 or above.

Meanwhile, as an alternative, registration can still be done at the self-registration kiosks, registration service counters in any post office, or via the mobile registration services.

The OGCIO reminded the public that the invitation to upgrade to iAM Smart+ or push notifications will only be sent through the iAM Smart system. Moreover, the entire iAM Smart+ registration or upgrade process will only be conducted within the iAM Smart mobile app.

People should stay vigilant to suspicious phone calls, SMS, emails etc claiming to assist with registering for or upgrading to iAM Smart+, the OGCIO added. It also noted that users should not provide personal data to scammers or click on suspicious links directly from SMS or emails.