India’s Unique Identification Authority is moving users from the older mAadhaar app to the redesigned Aadhaar app, making the smartphone the main place where residents carry, update, and share their national digital identity. UIDAI said the mAadhaar app will be retired soon and urged users to install the newer app, which is available for Android and iOS.
The operational change matters most for people who already use mAadhaar as a mobile version of their Aadhaar identity. Profiles stored in the older app do not transfer automatically, so users need to download the new Aadhaar app, verify the mobile number linked to their Aadhaar record, and add each profile again. Media reports citing UIDAI’s guidance say the setup flow can include OTP verification, a security PIN, and in some cases face authentication.
The redesigned app is built around selective sharing rather than showing or copying a full Aadhaar credential. Users can disclose specific attributes, such as name, photo, age, gender, address, mobile number, or Aadhaar status, and can use QR-based sharing to prove identity without exposing the 12-digit Aadhaar number. The app also supports offline verification, biometric lock controls, and storage for up to five Aadhaar profiles on a single device.
That makes the new app closer to a mobile identity wallet than a simple digital card viewer. UIDAI had already revamped the Aadhaar app and expanded wallet links for verifiable credentials, and earlier launched the new Aadhaar app as a mobile identity wallet. The retirement of mAadhaar narrows the user path to the newer app and pushes everyday Aadhaar verification toward QR codes, face checks, and consent-based data sharing.
Aadhaar covers more than a billion enrolled residents, so even an app migration can affect a large share of digital identity interactions in India. For users, the immediate task is straightforward: install the new app from an official app store and rebuild the Aadhaar profiles that were previously kept in mAadhaar.
Sources: Moneycontrol, India TV News, ETV Bharat
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By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
