AustralianETA

Rob & Cindi Bastien

3 years ago

We have a Samsung 7 phone and were concerned about the app working. However, after reviewing the videos on the Australia ETA site, we successfully completed our applications. The app downloaded and installed easily, but when scrolling through the screens, we found that the app tended to skip pages, such as the "Set a Passcode," which blocked us from going any farther with our application. Since there is no "Back" button on the app screens, nor did our phone's back-button work, we de-installed the app, installed it again, and then it worked fine. We do wish we could just go online and fill out the ETA forms like we used to!

Ben Rolsma

3 years ago

The app is exceedingly finicky to use, but if you follow the instructions it seems that it will, indeed, work eventually. It took me a long while to successfully scan my passport page, but it turns out I simply wasn't in a place that was bright enough and hadn't successfully warded off the glare. The previous ETA process, where you simply filled out a form with your passport information online, was far more user friendly and I wish Australian immigration would return to that.

Bob Lang

1 year ago

Most of the application is straitforward and works well except for two main elements. First: There should be some method of saving the info you've entered so you don't have to completely start over the 20 times the app freezes. Second: There should be significantly better guidance for, and status of scanning the passport (which took forever 6 times).

Jason Tsongas

1 year ago

Application is terrible and user hostile. The photo taking process requires dozens of attempts. Eventually you get to the need for it to pull your location information. Most times it instantly returns with a failure but sometimes spins for a minute to get your hopes up and then fails. After hundreds of attempts, I was able to get beyond it by spoofing the location with a Fake GPS Location app (needs the phone in developer mode). High Security app since regular GPS location doesn't work.

Christopher Shepard

1 year ago

I'm normally fairly technology adept, but when I saw that I needed my smartphone to scan my passport and take acceptable pictures, I decided to keep putting off the application...until today. Just like with going to the dentist, it was much, much better than expected. Two passport applications were completed AND verified in about 45 minutes. Brilliant!

Andrew (Torbidon)

2 years ago

Info page scan worked first try no problem. Scanning the chip was a bit of a struggle, but eventually got it to work. The picture, however, is impossible. 200+ attempts changing shirts, angles, lighting, back drops, everything.... honestly, I think it just doesn't recognize me because my passport pic was 8 years ago and I didnt have any hair. Thanks for saying I aged a bunch australia 😑

Ronald Hays

1 year ago

This application qualifies as user hostile in my opinion. I have been trying off an on for about 3 weeks to get through the process without success. The stress points are at the live photo taking when the app rapidly flashes from go/nogo. Today I finally got an acceptable photo. Then I had to verify my email. When I entered the verification code, it was unacceptable. Then I got sent to a 10 minute timeout. On the 3rd try, success! Got to the submit screen and I was dumped out of the appli

Julia Keen

3 years ago

After reading the many negative reviews here, I was a bit apprehensive, to say the least. But the app worked well for me!! Thank you, to the person who mentioned giving the app all of the permissions it needs, to function. If you have not done so already, go into settings, then apps, then choose the app and enable camera, location and storage. Not sure if it needs all three, but I enabled them all just in case. It definitely needs access to your camera because you will be using it to take a selfie to upload to the app. When you take your selfie, when the app prompts you, make sure you are in a brightly lit place, and if you can adjust your phone camera's brighness, you might want to make that bright too. My phone's camera doesn't even have that option. The app will tell you to have a plain background, so I just went into my bathroom where there's lots of light, and I had brought in an extra, very bright lamp and set it next to my sink, just in case. So my plain background was the white bathroom door, and the whole room was very brightly lit. I do think a white background might help, but the app prompted me to have my face filling up the whole picture. The picture it takes is inside of an oval. So it prompted me to move my camera closer until my face filled up the whole oval and then it was happy and too the pic. Camera was in selfie mode, so: the lens that is on the side where the screen is. Don't try to use a mirror and the back camera unless you have to. Hopefully your selfie mode will work fine like mine did. When it asks to scan your main passport page with all the info about you on it, you will hafta hold it still- the phone and the passport, both- for a minute while it processes the scan, so be prepared to hold them both still while its processing. Fill up the screen with your page, and then hold them both still like that until it says its done. When the app askes to scan your passport chip, if you have a United States of America passport, your chip is in the back cover. The app noticed me having trouble with this, so it told me to take off my phone cover so that I could lay my phone flat onto the back cover while it looked for the chip. So I did that. The app also told me to enable my permission for that scan, by going into my settings. I forget the name of that permission, but it told me how to get there to enable it. It wasn't one of the ones I'd already enabled. It was a scanner permission. So if you can't find that one to enable it prior to your attempt, don't worry- the app will tell you what it is and how to find it. So after I did all that, I put the phone back down so it was laying flat on my passport's open back cover, and I moved it slowly around until it found the chip. The app has a picture of how this should look, but it doesn't say back cover, for where the chip is. I had to google that. So be advised, if you have a USA passport, your chip is NOT in the page facing the one you just scanned into the app, with all your info on it. That's where the app says it is. But that page is just an ordinary page. Your chip is definitely in the back cover. So that's one sentence they could fix, in this app. When you get to the part about names, your "family" name is your last name, and your "given" name is your first name. For aliases, be sure to put down any previous names you've had. There's a drop down menu there for you to choose why you had this other name. If you changed your name when you were married, you can choose this. However, I no longer go by my maiden name, and there wasn't a choice for "maiden name" or "birth name" so I had to choose "other" and explain that it one of my previous names was my maiden name given to me at birth, in a little box that appears for the explanation, after you choose "other". So that's another thing they could do to improve the app. My 1st attempt worked, and I got the notification that my visa was approved in less than 10 minutes!! Great app!

The Charn

2 years ago

Quick, Easy to use, Helpful videos. Made the process of getting an ETA very easy. Lots of guidance and help in case you need it along the way. Watching the videos super helpful. Piece of advice: when they say to remove phone case to scan passport chip after confirming NFC is enabled, remove your case! You want the phone camera lens to be physically touching the passport so there is no separation between the two. After that, it was smooth. Do watch the vids for guidance too along the way.

Dana Lou

3 years ago

Have been trying for 2 weeks to get this to work and have emailed them 2 or 3 times. It will not pick up my location and I'm in the USA. I have force stopped it, uninstalled, reinstalled, double checked location permissions, made sure location was on, restarted phone, etc. All they told me in the email was to take my phone outside. I think they need better programmers. UGH!

Maryanne Johanson

3 years ago

One of the reviewers, Julia, left a very detailed review. Read it twice!!! I did and had almost no issues with AustralianETA app. It did freeze on me when I was scanning my passport, and I had to start over, but I realized I had 4 other apps opened. I closed those, started again, then had success. Pay attention to setting up your area for the photo, area to lay your passport flat without glare. I used natural light to eliminate glare. You must fill your entire face into frame for photo!

Peter Torr

2 years ago

The Visa Application process is fine, but the app has issues. It restarts a lot (e.g. if you switch apps) and since it doesn't keep in-progress applications, you may need to re-enter information several times. Taking a photo is hard, especially of young children. It asks you to type in your address, but then later on requests location info (so typing it in was a waste of time).

Frank Carr

3 years ago

Needs FAQs about location. I struggled for hours today with a "Location Error." You not only have to allow the app to access your location, but you have to disable improved location (wifi, Bluetooth ...etc) and get off of my wifi network. Then I had to go for a walk outside to ensure the phone was getting location from only GPS/cellular. Then I worked like a charm. It would be really nice if they would put this in the guide and not just say "Try Again."

Bill Allen

3 years ago

This app is very sensitive and may require multiple attempts to scan the passport chip and after nearly 100 attempts, we have not been able to get the app to accept the photo. Tried the app on two different Samsung phones at full resolution, tried adjusting lighting, even changed clothes to a drab gray shirt. Nothing. And we have no other options without this app. Always same "failed" message. Shameful.

Russ Vick

1 year ago

The picture-taking process is maddening. Though initially green-lighting the photo(s) the app would, shortly thereafter, reject the photo then start the entire application process over again. Attempted on 2 different phones (one less than a year old and another about 2 years old) with both front and back cameras, many, many times each to no avail. I researched the issue and realized it's fairly persistent among many users. Maybe it's time to fix it?

A Patel

1 year ago

I was getting location error for completing the application. Forvthe first application, it took several tries over four hours and finally it recognized the location while I tried it outside while driving. For second application, I was trying for a day with no success. Once again I tried it while driving and it recognized the location. If you have this issue, please go outside and try it while driving around. That what worked for me for two applications. Other than this issue the app is great.

Bubby Mack

1 year ago

I have tried taking the required photo at least a hundred times. The app always says it's in compliance and then won't accept the photo. I have watched the how to videos, researched the problem online, changed the lighting, background and everything else I could. This app is awful, terribly unfriendly to users.