National Lottery App

I can’t see the app in the Play Store

If you’re having difficulty downloading the app, you may need to verify your age. Google requires users to have an 18+ verified account to view or download any lottery or gambling apps. You can find more about that on Google’s Help page.

You may also need to clear the cache from your Google Play Services app before installing our app. Don’t worry, this won’t delete any of the apps on your phone. To clear the cache, follow these steps:

1. Go to your settings and find ‘Apps & notifications’

2. Find the Google Play Services app (choose ‘See all’ if you can’t see it) and tap it

3. Under ‘App info’ select ‘Storage & cache’

4. Tap on ‘Clear cache’ bin

If you’re still having difficulties, contact our Customer Services team. There are different ways to do this on our Contact Us page.

How do I prove I’m over 18?

You’ll need to confirm your date of birth in your Google account settings and then either upload proof of ID (e.g. passport or driver’s licence) or show a credit/debit card. You can find more help on Google’s Help page.

I’ve verified my age with Google but still can’t download the app

The issue could be that the cache on your Google Play Services app is full, and now needs to be cleared. Don’t worry, this won’t delete any of the apps on your phone.

To do this on your phone, follow these steps:

1. Go to your settings and find ‘Apps & notifications’

2. Find the Google Play Services app (choose ‘See all’ if you can’t see it) and tap it

3. Under ‘App info’ select ‘Storage & cache’

4. Tap on ‘Clear cache’ bin

If you’re still having difficulties, contact our Customer Services team. There are different ways to do this on our Contact Us page.

I was advised to upgrade, however I can’t download the new version

It can take up to 24 hours before Google make the new app version fully available on Google Play Store. If you’re an iPhone user, it can take up to 48 hours to become fully available on the App Store.

Why have you locked my app version?

We continue to develop our apps to improve user experience, fix bugs and performance issues and also to maintain the levels of security and integrity needed. It is common practice to update apps and, unfortunately, some older operating systems do not have the data capacity to keep pace with developments.

Why do you lock older versions of the app?

With technology moving at a fast pace, we need to ensure our app stays at a high standard with an enhanced experience. We are also required to maintain high levels of security and integrity. For this reason, we have to make updates that result in some older operating systems no longer being compatible with our app.

If I can’t upgrade my app, can I still play National Lottery games on my smartphone?

Yes, you can still play on the website using your phone, and it’s easy to add it as a shortcut on your home screen.

1. Go to our website using your web browser (e.g. Chrome).

2. In the top right where there are 3 vertical dots, tap and scroll down to ‘Add to Home Screen’.

3. The National Lottery icon will appear on your home screen and you can play and check results as normal there.

Why are the games on the app different to on the website?

We have had to create separate lists of Instant Win Games for the app and web for technical reasons.

How do I finish a game on the app that I previously started on the app?

You can access unfinished games through the ‘My games’ section of your National Lottery account or via your transaction history. If the game is no longer available, or you haven’t completed it within 24 hours of buying it, we will auto-complete the game on your behalf.

How do I finish a game that I previously started on the website on the app?

You’ll be presented with a message that you have an unfinished game if you choose to play a new game, through the ‘My games’ section of your National Lottery account or in your transaction history. You can click the button to auto-complete the game which will display the outcome of the game but without the animation. If you want to see the animated game, you will have to play the game on the website within 24 hours from purchase.

I only use the scanner to check my tickets, do I need to upgrade? (Why do I need to upgrade?)

We always advise updating to our latest app to ensure we can give you the best experience of playing, managing your account and checking results.

I can't update the app as my iPhone is running on an old version of iOS, and I don't want to update the iOS version

Unfortunately, you will need to update your iOS in order to download our latest app.

What version of iOS/Android must I have to use the new App version?

To run the latest version of our app, you will require a minimum of Android 5.0 and iOS 10 onwards.

How do I check what version of the software I am using?

iOS users: Go to Settings > General > About

Android users: Go to Settings > About Phone > Software Information (this may vary depending on your device make – Samsung example given.)

When trying to load the new version it just gets stuck and a loading circle just appears

It sounds like a problem with your internet connection. Our app requires the internet to work, so please check your internet connection.

How much memory do I need free on my device to install the new app (Android or iOS)?

With our app now having a better Instant Win Game experience, the amount of space you may need will vary. To get the most out of the app, we recommend having around 180 MB available for iOS and 120 MB for Android.

Why would you change the old version, it worked just fine?

To ensure you are getting the best experience, we are continuously updating our app. This does mean that older apps become obsolete. Please give it a try and share your thoughts with us.

What’s different about the new version that makes it better than the old one?

Having the latest version ensures you are getting the best possible experience. As we update our app, it means that older apps become obsolete. Please give it a try and share your thoughts with us.

Can I use the internet on my phone instead?

Yes, you can access our website through your phone, but will not be able to scan your paper tickets from there.

Why am I being asked to download something else within the app?

If you wish to play Instant Win Games in the app, you may on occasion need to download a feature in order to play the game with full animation. You will only need to download the feature once for each new game you want to play.

Android users:

If you are an Android user, having chosen the game, if you are required to download the feature to play the game fully, you will be presented with a series of screen prompts to guide you:

iOS (iPhone) users:

If you use an iOS device, any features required to play the game will automatically download once you have bought the game, and you will only be presented with the download progress screen, as seen below:

I have been charged for a game even though I did not get to play it. I was asked to download something, but I said ‘No’. Can I have a refund please?

After choosing and buying a game, you would have been prompted to download the feature which enables the full animation for the game. If you used an Android device and selected “No Thanks”, you would have then seen a second prompt, confirming whether you would like to download the animation or not. If you chose not to download again, the game will have been played out for you but without the animation, going straight to the outcome. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to refund you at this point.

I want to play an Instant Win Game in the app, why am I being prompted to upgrade?

With technology moving at a fast pace, we need to ensure our app stays at a high standard with an enhanced experience. We are also required to maintain high levels of security and integrity. For this reason, we have to launch updated versions of our app from time to time. Unfortunately this does mean that some older operating systems are no longer compatible with the latest version of The National Lottery app.