The new Aadhaar App from UIDAI lets you verify your identity with a face scan and share only the fields a counter actually needs, through a QR code you approve. UIDAI unveiled it on 30 January 2026 and reported 21 million downloads within three months. It does not ask you to carry photocopies of your Aadhaar.
If you are short on time, jump to the comparison table below to see what changes versus the older mAadhaar app.
Picture a tenant who is tired of handing over Aadhaar photocopies at every hotel desk, SIM counter, and society gate. Each copy is one more place their full Aadhaar can leak. The new app is built to end that habit. Instead of a paper copy, you show a QR code that carries only the details you consent to share.
Here is how the old way compares with the new Aadhaar App, based on UIDAI's own announcement.
| What you do | Older mAadhaar / photocopy | New Aadhaar App (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Prove who you are | Show a printed copy or a stored card image | Face authentication, a live photo matched to your Aadhaar |
| Share your details | Hand over the full Aadhaar with every field visible | Selective sharing through a QR code you approve |
| Consent | Implicit once the copy leaves your hand | Consent control at your fingertips, per UIDAI |
| Data shared | All fields on the card, every time | Only the fields needed for that purpose |
UIDAI describes the app in three words: “Show, Share, Verify”. The official tagline is “Selective sharing, Consent Control at Fingertips”.
UIDAI says the app “reimagines identity verification keeping people at its core”. Two features sit at the centre of that claim.
You prove your identity with your face. The app captures a live photo and matches it against the photograph already linked to your Aadhaar. This means a verifier can confirm it is really you, without you typing an OTP or handing over a document.
Instead of revealing your whole Aadhaar, you generate a QR code that carries only the fields a particular counter needs. The hotel, store, or office scans that code. UIDAI frames this as “selective sharing” with “consent control at your fingertips”, so you decide what leaves your phone.
This is built on data minimisation, the idea that a service should collect only what it truly needs. UIDAI dedicated the app to the nation on 30 January 2026 and positioned it as a way to “expand Aadhaar usage” while improving ease of living.
A paper photocopy cannot be taken back. Once it is in a drawer, you have lost control of it. A QR share is different. You choose the fields, you approve the share, and you are not scattering your full Aadhaar across counters.
This is the practical meaning of consent and data minimisation. You share less, so less can leak. To lock down your Aadhaar further, read our guide to Aadhaar update, eKYC and biometric lock services.
The app is a new UIDAI product for Aadhaar holders. Treat the steps below as a starting point and confirm details inside the app, since UIDAI controls the rollout.
Important: this article is about the new Aadhaar App, not about getting an Aadhaar in the first place. If you still need to enrol, follow our step-by-step guide on how to enrol for a new Aadhaar in 2026.
For a wider map of every Aadhaar service, including online update and eKYC, see the UIDAI Aadhaar services suite. To understand your information rights more broadly, The RTI Playbook is a useful next read.
No. The new Aadhaar App is a separate 2026 product from UIDAI. Its headline features are face authentication and QR-based selective sharing, which UIDAI groups under the line “Show, Share, Verify”. UIDAI's announcements introduce it as a new app rather than a renamed mAadhaar. If you want to know whether mAadhaar is being withdrawn, check the official UIDAI press releases, since that detail is not stated in the launch announcement.
UIDAI unveiled the new Aadhaar App on 30 January 2026. The launch release was titled “New Aadhaar App unveiled; it reimagines identity verification keeping people at its core”. On 7 May 2026 UIDAI reported strong public adoption, with 21 million downloads in three months.
Face authentication lets you prove your identity with a live photo of your face, matched against the photograph linked to your Aadhaar. It is meant to replace the habit of handing over a document or photocopy at a counter. The exact device and rollout details are controlled by UIDAI, so confirm them inside the app.
It shares only the fields you approve for that purpose, not your full Aadhaar. You generate a QR code, the counter scans it, and the details outside that code are not revealed. UIDAI calls this “selective sharing” with “consent control at your fingertips”, which is the core privacy idea behind the app.
UIDAI positions the app to reduce reliance on photocopies in everyday verification. For now, treat it as a faster, privacy-respecting way to prove identity, and keep your usual Aadhaar credentials. Whether any counter accepts only the app depends on that counter, so carry a fallback until app-based verification is universally accepted.
Download it from your phone's official app store and confirm the publisher is UIDAI before installing. Be careful of lookalike apps and fake Aadhaar update websites. If you hit a scam page, our guide on spotting fake Aadhaar update websites explains how to verify a genuine UIDAI service.
Reviewed by the RTI Wiki editorial team, June 2026.