New Aadhaar App explained: UIDAI shows how offline verification improves security and convenience
UIDAI explain the benefits of offline verification using the newly launched Aadhaar app. The app allows users to securely store their Aadhaar card on their smartphones and share either full or masked details for verification, reducing the need for physical copies and lowering fraud risks.
Recently, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) conducted a stakeholder webinar to underline the benefits of offline verification through its newly launched Aadhaar app. The session titled “Offline Verification using the Aadhaar App” saw over 250 entities, including fintech companies, service providers, and institutional stakeholders, participating in it. It was conducted with the aim of explaining how offline verification of Aadhaar can enhance privacy while being more convenient and decreasing dependence on physical documents.
New Aadhaar App Offers Secure Digital Storage
The new Aadhaar application allows residents to store the Aadhaar card digitally in a secure manner on smartphones. Users can choose whether they want to share their complete details of Aadhaar or a masked version that reveals only the essential information, giving full control over privacy during the verification of identity. This makes the app apt for the day-to-day scenarios where Aadhaar is required, like hotel check-ins, entry to the society with gates, and event entries.
As UIDAI CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar explained, offline verification through the app provides a “secure, convenient and privacy-protecting method” of identity confirmation. He stressed that this digital solution cuts the number of physical Aadhaar cards and photocopies in circulation, which have more often than not been misused for various frauds.
A step towards reducing aadhaar-related fraud
Officials at the UIDAI added that one of the major benefits of offline verification is in minimising the risk of misusing shared physical Aadhaar documents. Since the app allows the sharing of only selected information, the chances of misusing data become very low, while there are no internet requirements for verification.
New Aadhaar app vs mAadhaar
UIDAI clarified that the new Aadhaar app does not replace the existing mAadhaar application. Whereas mAadhaar allows a resident to download Aadhaar or order a PVC Aadhaar card, the new application is intended to work as a secure, feature-rich, digital wallet for storing and sharing Aadhaar details with enhanced privacy measures. The new Aadhaar app, which is available on both Android and iOS, provides improved features to store identity details and verify them digitally.