The move comes after the United Kingdom’s COVID enquiry revealed how ministers and top civil servants deleted messages from the Meta-owned messaging service during the pandemic

Record View says Tthe decision to stop the use of informal messaging apps is welcome but other questions remain.

LONDON — Scotland's devolved government will stop using WhatsApp on official phones, it announced Tuesday. All "non-corporate mobile message apps" will be removed from official devices from spring next year — in the wake of a review of the government's policy on using them.

Scottish ministers and civil servants will be banned from using mobile messaging applications such as WhatsApp on official devices from next spring. Deputy first minister Kate Forbes said on Tuesday that access to messaging apps would be removed from government devices in line with a commitment to “the highest standards of .

The announcement comes after it was revealed ministers deleted messages exchanged during the pandemic.

The Scottish Government has banned staff from using WhatsApp on their work phones after Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney deleted all their pandemic-era messages from the platform.

Ending use of WhatsApp is ‘clear admission’ Government was wrong, claim Tories - Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes announced the Scottish Government will stop using mobile messaging applications by the spring.

John Swinney has banned the use of WhatsApp for government business after the scandal of deleted messages during covid. SNP Ministers and civil servants will no longer be able to use mobile messaging apps from spring next year.