The digitalization of the country also passes through the development of platforms and applications that simplify the relationship between the citizen and the Public Administration. AgID, the Agency for Digital Italy, has been working towards this goal for many years now, and has so far worked to create the foundations on which to build a true Smart Nation project. And one of the most important projects is definitely the IO app, officially released on April 18, 2020 on the Google Play Store and App Store.
The application allows citizens to receive notifications, alerts and messages from the various state, regional and municipal bodies on their smartphones. But that's not all. The IO app also allows you to pay taxes and fees directly from your smartphone. And in the future, new tools and functions are planned to put the IO app at the center of Italy's digitalization project.
The app will become increasingly important and fundamental, as demonstrated by the Government's decision to provide the 2020 Holiday Bonus through the IO app. This is an important decision that demonstrates the potential and adaptability of the app to different situations: from the disbursement of bonuses to the payment of taxes or the request of documents to the Public Administration. Here's how to access, how it works and how to download IO.
How to download the IO app
The app is available for free on the Google Play Store and the App Store. Downloading and installing it takes very few seconds.
How to access IO
After downloading and installing the app on your smartphone, you need to authenticate. Two methods are available: the SPID (Sistema Pubblico di Identità Digitale) or the CIE (Carta d'Identità Elettronica). After the first authentication you can access your personal profile using a simple PIN or one of the biometric recognition systems on your smartphone.
The choice to use the SPID or the Electronic Identity Card for the first authentication was necessary to ensure a very high standard in terms of security. Both tools guarantee the authenticity of the person and no one can pretend to be someone else. If you don't have either of the two tools, you can request them in a short time: SPID can be done for free online, while for the Electronic Identity Card you have to go to the registry of your municipality.
What is the IO app
IO is an application developed by the Digital Team that for several years now has been working on the digitalization of the Public Administration and more generally of the State. In the strategic plans developed by the last governments, the IO app is the central focus: all the various platforms developed in recent years must be integrated into IO or must be able to communicate with the application.
What can you do on the IO app
Why is the IO app so important? Because it allows you to receive messages and notifications from various government agencies. Is your tax stamp expiring? ACI will notify you with a push notification on your smartphone and the citizen can pay it directly from the app without having to stand in line. And the same goes for dozens of other services that are already available or will be in the future.
This last one, in fact, is the sorest button. There aren't many services available right now, but new ones will be added in the coming months. For example, at the moment only a few Municipalities and Regions are using IO to communicate with their citizens.
Inhabitants of Turin, for example, can receive notifications about the expiration of IMU and TARI, or about when to register for kindergarten. Milan has activated notifications for area B or for the expiration of the identity card and local taxes. Rome has activated the one-stop shop for construction and productive activities. ACI is also present on the IO app: citizens can pay their car tax using the PagoPA platform and request certificates of ownership.
Among the new features added recently is the 2020 Holiday Bonus, the economic support provided by the Government to boost tourism after the Covid-19 emergency. The Holiday Bonus 2020 can only be requested through the IO app: just access the appropriate service, enter your ISEE and follow all the steps. At the end you will receive a QR code to use during the payment of the vacation to show to the hotelier.
How PagoPA works
The functioning of the app is very simple and intuitive. After logging in with your SPID or Electronic Identity Card, you access the homepage where you can keep track of any deadlines and renewals and add new reminders on your personal calendar.
For each notification you can specify the sender (state, regional or municipal body) and also the contacts for more information. All without ever leaving the application. IO also lets you customize your profile according to your needs: you can decide which service to keep active and which to disable. You can also choose which messages you want to receive and where you want to receive them, such as in your email, within the app, or via push notification on your smartphone screen.