The New Aadhaar App: What Replaced mAadhaar and What It Can Do

For years, the mAadhaar app was the usual way to carry your Aadhaar on your phone. UIDAI, the authority that runs Aadhaar, has now phased it out and asks people to use its newer app, simply called Aadhaar. The new app focuses on showing and sharing your identity safely, often without revealing your full Aadhaar number. This guide explains what the app can do, what it cannot do, and how to set it up.

AppStepwise is an independent guide, not an official government service, and is not connected to UIDAI.

Moving from mAadhaar to the new app

If you still have mAadhaar on your phone, note that your profile does not move across automatically. You need to install the new Aadhaar app and set up your profile again. Once your details show correctly in the new app, you can uninstall the old one.

Here is where common Aadhaar tasks are done now:

What the new Aadhaar app can do

• Carry your Aadhaar profile on your phone, protected by a PIN or your phone's fingerprint or face unlock.
• Share only what is needed. When a hotel, hospital or other organisation shows you a QR code for verification, you can share just the details they need instead of handing over a photocopy with your full Aadhaar number.
• Verify with your face. Some services let you confirm it is really you using your phone's camera.
• Lock and unlock biometrics. While locked, your fingerprints, iris and face cannot be used for Aadhaar authentication.
• Show your authentication history, so you can spot any use of your Aadhaar that you do not recognise.
• Update your registered mobile number and address. UIDAI has said more update services are planned for the app.
• Manage up to five Aadhaar profiles on one phone, which helps families look after the Aadhaar of children or elderly parents.

What it cannot do

• It cannot create a new Aadhaar. New enrolments happen at Aadhaar enrolment centres.
• It cannot update your fingerprints, iris or photo. Biometric updates need a visit to an enrolment or update centre.
• It cannot fix mismatches in other records, such as a name spelled differently in your bank or PAN records. Those must be corrected with the organisation concerned.
• It cannot make every organisation accept it. Whether an office, hotel or other organisation accepts app-based verification is their decision, so carry your physical Aadhaar or another ID as a backup.

Before you install

The Aadhaar app is free. Download it only from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, and check that the publisher is the Unique Identification Authority of India. The app needs a reasonably recent version of Android or iOS, so it may not install on very old phones.

Setup relies on OTPs sent to the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar, so keep that phone with you. If you no longer have access to that number, check UIDAI's official website or visit an Aadhaar centre to find the current way to update it.

How to set up the new Aadhaar app

1. Install the official app

   Search for Aadhaar in your app store, confirm that the publisher is UIDAI, and install it.

2. Choose a language and verify your number

   Enter the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar and verify it with the OTP. Use the phone that has this SIM.

3. Complete face verification if asked

   Some users are asked to verify with their face using the front camera. Do this in good light, looking straight at the camera.

4. Set a PIN or biometric unlock

   Create a PIN that only you know, or use your phone's fingerprint or face unlock where the app offers it.

5. Add your Aadhaar profile

   Enter your Aadhaar number and verify it with another OTP. Your details should then appear in the app.

6. Add family members if you want

   You can add more profiles, up to five on one phone. Each profile has to be verified before it is added.

Using biometric lock sensibly

Locking your biometrics is a strong safety step, because nobody can use your fingerprint or iris for Aadhaar authentication while the lock is on. But some everyday services depend on fingerprint authentication, such as ration distribution in many states or cash withdrawal at a bank correspondent. If you have locked your biometrics, unlock them in the app before such a visit, and lock them again afterwards.

Downloading e-Aadhaar

An e-Aadhaar is a digitally signed PDF version of your Aadhaar, and UIDAI says it is as valid as the physical card. You can download it from UIDAI's official website using your Aadhaar number and an OTP, or fetch it through DigiLocker. You can also choose a masked version, which hides all but the last four digits of your Aadhaar number and is safer to share when the full number is not needed.

The PDF is password-protected. The password is the first four letters of your name in capital letters, followed by your year of birth.

Frequently asked questions