UAE authorities 'working to fix Al Hosn fault' after problems reported

Crisis authority Ncema apologised to app users for the technical issues on Thursday

The Al Hosn app, advertised here at the Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, has been updated. Victor Besa / The National

New mandatory entrance procedures carried out at Khalidiyah Mall. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

A man shows his green pass status to enter Boroughs cafe, at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Keith O'Donnell gives green pass proof from the Al Hosn app as Covid-19 restrictions are implemented at Vogue Fitness, Yas Marina. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa follows the new green pass mandatory requirement on Al Hosn for entering the hotel. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Al Hosn green pass awareness signs at Al Wahda Mall. Victor Besa / The National

UPDATE: Abu Dhabi temporarily suspends green pass until Al Hosn app fault is fixed

Authorities said they were working to address a technical fault which left the UAE's main coronavirus phone application unresponsive for several hours on Thursday.

The Al Hosn app showed error messages for many people.

The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority apologised on social media.

"Work is currently under way to address the technical malfunction in the system. We apologise for the delay," Ncema said.

Government health portal Weqaya responded to messages on Twitter by urging users to update the app.

A workaround for current technical errors with Al Hosn for All. Photo: UAE Ministry of Health & Prevention

There is an existing workaround, posted to the Ministry of Health and Prevention's Facebook page in August last year, that explains how to retrieve your last PCR result.

Users experiencing unresolved problems with the app should email [e-mail], it said.

It was not clear if the issues were a result of a broader app update. According to the Apple store, Al Hosn was last updated on June 11.

Abu Dhabi residents must show their green status – meaning they are vaccinated or had a recent PCR test – on Al Hosn to enter most public places. These include malls, supermarkets, gyms, bars and restaurants.

The same app is used to show to police officers at the border from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.

On Thursday, some users found they could access a cached version of the status page to show they had green status before the fault occurred.

Security guards at malls were accepting a screenshot of these latest results, staff from The National found.