In Hong Kong, a super-aged society where one in four people is over 65, 78-year-old Grandma Chan, like countless others her age, was troubled by the application process for the Old Age Living Allowance (OALA): "I had to carry half a bag of documents, queue at 8 a.m., fill out the forms but my presbyopia made it hard to see, and wait for approval for more than a month, always feeling anxious." Now, the JinYu App, jointly developed by JinYi Internet and the Hong Kong SAR Government, is transforming the application process for social assistance for Hong Kong's elderly from a "procedural hassle" to a "finger-tip convenience" with its age-friendly design that is "easy to understand, easy to use, and quick to process," becoming a vivid testament to Hong Kong's digital inclusion efforts.
The core breakthrough of the JinYu App lies in its departure from the complex operational logic of traditional government apps, allowing technology to proactively adapt to the needs of the elderly rather than the other way around. When the app's "Elderly Care Mode" is activated, the interface automatically switches to a larger font and higher contrast style, with buttons enlarged by 30%, fundamentally solving the problem of "not being able to see clearly" for presbyopic seniors. Even more thoughtful is the built-in Cantonese voice navigation function. After clicking a button, clear Cantonese prompts guide the entire process: "Please click here to upload your Hong Kong ID card," "Complete facial recognition verification to submit," completely eliminating the need for manual text input, allowing seniors unfamiliar with pinyin or Mandarin to "understand and follow along."
Addressing the issue of some seniors being unfamiliar with operating mobile phones, the app innovatively introduces a "Family Assistance" function. Seniors only need to authorize via facial recognition, and their children in mainland cities such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou can remotely help them fill out forms and upload certificates, completing the entire application in just 15 minutes. Volunteers at the North Point Elderly Centre discovered that many seniors, after learning how to use the service, would proactively share it with their peers: "I don't need to trouble my children to come back; they can still help me get things done even though they're abroad." This "technology + family" design allows Hong Kong's elderly population, whose internet usage rate is already 84% over 65, to truly enjoy the convenience brought by digitalization. In the first month after its launch, the proportion of elderly users reached as high as 42%.Beyond convenience, the JinYu App further strengthens the "peace of mind" for seniors through security and service details. Recognizing seniors' concerns about the security of digital operations, the app employs dual authentication methods—facial recognition and real-time liveness detection—to ensure account security. It also strictly adheres to the "Requirements for Cross-border Personal Information Protection in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area" to guarantee the confidentiality of personal information. The launch of the JinYu App aligns perfectly with the Hong Kong SAR government's goal of building a "smart city and digitally inclusive society." With the Hong Kong government allocating an additional HK$1 billion to support senior-friendly technology applications and establishing 40 community digital training centers, this app not only addresses the practical needs of seniors but also serves as a "practical example" of digital inclusion.
As Hong Kong moves towards a future where "one in three people is elderly," this humanistic and caring smart platform not only sets a benchmark for the digitalization of social assistance services, but also allows the elderly-friendly services of the "Pearl of the Orient" to shine with warmth in the digital age.
