It’s here. My.unimelb now has its own app. Will it change your life? We’re not so sure.

According to the ask.unimelb website, “The my.unimelb mobile app allows you to view your class and exam timetables, notices, library borrowing, fines, results, system announcements and events”.

However, the app has one fatal flaw, rendering it fundamentally redundant in several ways. It offers “view-only access”, which means you can’t actually do any student admin tasks on your phone. “If you wish to make any changes to your student record, you will need to access the desktop version of my.unimelb,” according to the oracle that is ask.unimelb.

So, if you logged in hoping to pay a library fine, create your timetable or enrol and withdraw from subjects, your hopes were probably a bit high. Updating contact details, looking at fee information or even checking emails are also out of the question.

It’s a bit like a bank developing an app that shows you your balance and then directs you to your nearest ATM or branch.

Tobias Gustavsson, Treasurer of Melbourne University German Club, is rather indifferent towards the app. “I still need to get to a computer to print anything I actually need a copy of,” he explains, highlighting one of the many dilemmas of a transitional, digital age.

Lena Gerasimon, a Bachelor of Commerce student, lacks confidence in the app, especially considering her current infrequent usage of my.unimelb.

“Apps are kind of useless when we usually access it [my.unimelb] via the website on our computers,” she said.

However, the app does provide clear access to your timetable, which is displayed in either a daily, weekly or monthly fashion.

Categorised map features are also available. If you’re looking for an ATM, need to fill up your water bottle, want to grab lunch, or need a wheelchair accessible toilet, you can locate the nearest one with the map features function. Selected buildings and exam venues, departments and schools, gates, libraries, shops, student centres, student facilities and services are also pinned on the map.

However, although you can access your results, the recently introduced Weighted Average Mark (WAM) is not visible on the app. Thus, there are certainly some issues with the app.

The good news is there’s an option to send feedback about the app to its developers via the main menu. Submit a review – there’s hope yet!