New Aadhaar app in testing, set to ease authentication
Union minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the beta testing phase of the application on social media
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has developed a new mobile application that will allow Aadhaar holders to share only necessary personal information while availing services, eliminating the need for physical photocopies of the identification document.
Union minister for electronics and information technology Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the beta testing phase of the application on social media, describing it as a tool that gives users “complete control over their personal information” with just a tap.
The application is currently in the beta testing phase. The government did not share a timeframe for its release.
“Aadhaar verification becomes as simple as making UPI payment. Users can now digitally verify and share their Aadhaar details while ensuring their privacy,” Vaishnaw said.
For instance, a person aware of the matter explained that if someone asks for Aadhaar while entering a historical monument, the visitor needn’t share all the fields given in an Aadhaar. Through the app, they could potentially only share their name.
UIDAI already runs the mAadhaar app that can be used for different Aadhaar related services such as updating address details, scanning QR codes on Aadhaar cards. The idea with the new app is to upgrade this existing system.
An official aware of the matter explained the minister’s UPI parallel: “Like we have UPI payment QR code at almost every point of payment in India; same way Aadhaar verification QR codes will soon be available at ‘points of authentication.”’
The new features are likely to address a significant privacy issue in how Aadhaar-based authentications are carried out today – often through people making physical copies of their unmasked Aadhaar cards, instead of going through the OTP- or biometrics-based Aadhaar authentication service that requires specific devices.
To be sure, as per the Aadhaar Act, 2016, Aadhaar can only be used on a voluntary basis to provide any subsidy, benefit or service and Aadhaar-based authentication can be made mandatory only under a law made by the parliament, a position reiterated by MeitY in a recent submission to the Madras High Court.
However, MeitY said that entities could seek permission to use Aadhaar-based authentication on a voluntary basis as per the 2025 amendments to the Aadhaar Authentication of Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules “provided their use-case is in the interest of the State”.
The new application was showcased at ‘Aadhaar Samvaad’, a day-long stakeholders’ meeting held in New Delhi on Tuesday. The event brought together nearly 750 senior policy makers, experts, technocrats and professionals to discuss enhancing service delivery through Aadhaar. All these stakeholders are part of the beta test and their feedback will be used to improve the app.
A key innovation in the application is the integration of Aadhaar face authentication, which has gained rapid adoption across sectors with over 150 million transactions per month, according to a release by the ministry. A person aware of the matter explained that the use of face authentication is more foolproof than other forms of biometric authentication such as fingerprints and iris as a face is not affected by age and it is harder for miscreants to tamper with face.
UIDAI already runs an app called “AadhaarFaceRD” which is used for Aadhaar-based face authentication. This person said that this app is used in background for providing services such as Jeevan Pramaan, the government’s digital life certificate. Through its integration in this new app, the service will be made available to all.
UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar said: “Aadhaar Face authentication is becoming the hallmark of the authentication landscape.”
According to Vaishnaw, the application eliminates the need to provide Aadhaar photocopies at hotel receptions, shops or during travel. “The Aadhaar App is secure and shareable only with the user’s consent,” he said, adding that it ensures stronger privacy, prevents misuse or leaks of Aadhaar data, and provides protection against forgery or editing.
