# AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS) — Check your symptoms now

> AI symptom checker for assessing conditions and guiding next steps. (iPhone/iPad app by Sense.ly Corporation.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/askfirst-formerly-ask-nhs/id1222121280 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Sense.ly Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/871632287)
- Category: Medical, Health & Fitness
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 64 App Store ratings · 114 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 15.6 · 1 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2017-04-11
- Data updated: 2026-06-11
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/askfirst-formerly-ask-nhs/id1222121280/reviews.md

## What is AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)?

Trusted AI symptom checker powered by clinically validated medical intelligence.
What Ask First does

- Helps you assess symptoms through a natural, conversational experience
- Provides insight into the urgency of your condition
- Offers clear guidance on next steps
- Supports better healthcare decisions without replacing medical professionals

When to use AskFirst:
- Abdominal pain
- Back pain
- Cough
- Cold or flu symptoms
- Chest pain
- Dizziness
- Fever
- Headache
- Pregnant and vomiting
- Rash
- Sore throat
- Urinary symptoms
- General medical questions, "Should I go in for this or not?"

Ask First is a symptom checker and guidance tool only. It does not replace professional medical advice.
If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.

## Key features

- AI symptom assessment
- Conversational symptom checking
- Urgency assessment
- Next step guidance
- Supports healthcare decisions

## What do users think of AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 🚀 Quick and efficient appointment booking
- 👍 User-friendly interface for simple tasks
- ⏱️ Saves time compared to phone queues
- 📱 Easy to navigate once familiar with app
- 🎯 Provides appointment options and flexibility
- 💪 Reduces need for phone calls to surgery

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and 'Access Denied' errors
- 🔄 Logging out mid-process without saving progress
- ❌ Poor age calculation and data handling
- 😕 Limited diagnostic capabilities beyond triage
- 🔐 Login and authentication issues
- ⚠️ Creepy and unnecessary avatar animations
- 🚫 No back button or ability to correct mistakes
- 📊 Generic questions that don't fit all conditions
- 🔗 Fails to connect with some GP surgeries
- ⏳ Slow performance and latency issues
- 🎯 Confusing navigation and unclear options
- 👥 Excludes users with multiple family members at same address
- 🔄 Repetitive questioning in loops
- 📱 Incompatible with older phone operating systems
- 🌐 Poor integration with NHS systems

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes with 'Access Denied' popup
- Logs out unexpectedly mid-booking process
- Age calculation incorrect despite correct birthdate input
- Login credentials not recognized (NHS and Ask First)
- Forgot password link not sent
- Postcode validation rejects valid postcodes
- Blank questions appear in symptom checker
- Microphone input not recognized
- App hangs and becomes unresponsive
- Appointment booking fails after multiple attempts
- Cannot change GP practice once linked
- Flu vaccine option missing from some app instances
- Virtual assistant misinterprets typed symptoms
- Glitches before completing booking process
- No record of appointment created despite confirmation
- Incompatibility with older iOS versions

**Most requested features**

- Back button to navigate and correct mistakes
- Ability to save progress and return later
- Preview available appointments before answering all questions
- Support for multiple family members with same date of birth
- Better integration with NHS records and existing systems
- Option to speak with human advisor when chatbot fails
- Unified NHS app combining all services
- Improved virtual assistant with better AI and natural conversation
- Review and edit answers before submission
- Better accessibility features for visually impaired users
- Ability to add more detail to symptoms and medical history
- Support for prescription refills and medication management
- Clearer indication of appointment availability upfront
- Single login for multiple family members
- Better support for women's health issues

## Recent user reviews (10 of 114)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/askfirst-formerly-ask-nhs/id1222121280/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Very limited, slightly worrying

*2026-01-18, version 4.0.0*

This app seems to be aimed at assessing your need for immediate, urgent treatment, and not toward helping you get answers, even preliminary. More worrying, however, the app has not calculated my age correctly. I checked and triple checked I’d inputted my birthdate correctly, and nevertheless the app has decided I’m two years younger than I am - makes me doubt pretty much everything it says.

### 1/5 — Why do I have to down load this

*2025-11-07, version 3.14.2*

Why do I have to download a whole app so I can talk to an ai bot that does not help at all and I end up having to call my go anyway

### 1/5 — Infuriating

*2025-11-01, version 3.14.2*

Won’t let me log in with my NHS credentials, won’t recognise my Ask First username & password , won’t send a forgot password link. Useless.

### 1/5 — Waste of time

*2025-10-06, version 3.14.2*

I have to use this app because my GP is never available. Every time I use it the app either tells me my condition is not urgent but offers no diagnosis, or it offers to get a GP appointment for me and fails miserably. It’s this app that causes everyone to use A & E.

### 1/5 — Terrible software

*2025-06-07, version 3.14.2*

Awful piece of technology. Mostly when you encounter a chat or this bad you can opt to speak to an adviser (human being) to sort its inadequacies. This thing has no such function. You end up in a doom loop in a system designed to prevent you from seeing a medical professional. It’s dangerous. Probably costing the NHS a fortune too.

### 5/5 — Appt booking

*2025-05-26, version 3.14.2*

Excellent app for booking appointments. Extremely user friendly.

### 5/5 — Easy to use

*2025-05-14, version 3.14.2*

Easier to use than NHS app as one can book a blood test

### 1/5 — Too generic

*2025-05-14, version 3.14.2*

My local GP doesn’t even put me on hold just tells me to hang up and use this app. The app is way too generic and also glitched so once I’d spent about 5 minutes putting in my details multiple times it would always glitch before I could complete

### 1/5 — Why can’t this cope if you have twins?

*2025-04-30, version 3.14.2*

Totally uninclusive design that can’t cope if same dob at same address. Appalling. Sort it out.

Causes undue admin and faff with drs surgery and will be forever having to explain why I can’t use the app to book appointments for my twin sons. Excludes, confuses and intimidates already overwhelmed parents of twins who are more likely to need medical care as small children. Not acceptable.

### 1/5 — Long winded way to nit book appointments

*2025-04-14, version 3.14.2*

Tried to book an appointment about 15 times and it keeps failing. Not only is the app repetitive and long-winded, it suffers from latency issues at the end of which the app fails to book appointments. Useless

## Frequently asked questions about AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)

### What does AskFirst do?

AskFirst is an AI-powered symptom checker that helps you assess your symptoms through a natural, conversational experience. It provides insights into the urgency of your condition and offers clear guidance on the next steps you should take.

### What kind of symptoms can I check with AskFirst?

You can use AskFirst to check a wide range of symptoms including abdominal pain, back pain, cough, cold or flu symptoms, chest pain, dizziness, fever, headache, vomiting during pregnancy, rash, sore throat, and urinary symptoms. It can also answer general medical questions about whether to seek professional help.

### Is AskFirst a replacement for a doctor?

No, AskFirst is a symptom checker and guidance tool only. It does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is designed to support better healthcare decisions by providing initial insights and guidance.

### Is AskFirst free to use?

Yes, AskFirst is a free application. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, indicating it is provided at no cost to the user.

### What should I do if I think I have a medical emergency?

If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, you should call emergency services immediately. AskFirst is a guidance tool and not intended for use in critical situations requiring immediate medical attention.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.0.1 — 2026-01-23

Session data stored securely

### 4.0.0 — 2026-01-01

Ask First is now powered by Sensely part of Mediktor

### 3.14.2 — 2023-05-23

Bug fix

### 3.14.1 — 2022-12-28

Bug fixes

### 3.13.5 — 2022-12-14

Fix for NHS login

## Apps similar to AskFirst (formerly Ask NHS)

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Symptom Checker & Medication](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symptom-checker-and-medication/id1644111860) | 1.0 (1) | Free | Medical |
| [Doctor Care Anywhere](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/doctor-care-anywhere/id882607302) | 4.7 (13,665) | Free | Medical |
| [Livi – See a GP by video](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/livi-see-a-gp-by-video/id1433906974) | 4.9 (149,644) | Free | Medical |

## More apps by Sense.ly Corporation

- [Sensely](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sensely/id871632284)
- [AskSensely](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asksensely/id1559379884)

All apps by Sense.ly Corporation: https://appshunter.io/developer/871632287

## Related topics

[nhs 24](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/nhs-24)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-11.*