Forgot password? From food apps to help lines, tech is being used to frustrate us

July 31, 2026 — 5:00am

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I promise this column isn’t a mere whinge; that it is going somewhere serious. But allow me to take you through my morning, because I’m sure you’ve had this morning before, too.

It begins with an email from a fast(ish) food chain. I receive these all the time. This one offers a special, available on Tuesdays if you order through the store’s app. Just click on “specials” it instructs, and they’ll be there.

The enticement works. Having ignored such emails for months – for which I don’t ever recall signing up – I decide to download the app and give myself the option. I endure the account-making process, and sign in. I scour every drop-down menu, click on any vaguely related link. I can’t find one labelled “specials”. I have no doubt I’m missing something, but I figure it really should be dunce-proof.

Mildly inconvenienced, I move on to more serious things. I have a flu shot to book.

That booking requires an online form. I burst out of the gates: name, date of birth, address – I know this stuff! Then it asks for my Medicare number, at which point I discover I’ve misplaced my card. Brimming with confidence, I open my Medicare app. I’m greeted by a message saying the app is now obsolete – “retired”, I think it said, as though it was rewarding itself for a lifetime of service by finally pursuing its passions. Instead, I must download the myGov app, where my Medicare account now resides.

A mostly blank, blue page greets me, offering only an option to “Sign In”. I take it, and........

© The Sydney Morning Herald