India’s Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has rolled out a redesigned Aadhaar app experience that emphasizes user consent and data minimization, while also linking the identity system to consumer wallet partners including Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and DigiLocker.
The updated app is positioned as a replacement for the existing mAadhaar interface. It introduces features aimed at reducing the need to hand over photocopies of identity documents, instead supporting selective data sharing for specific transactions and tighter visibility into when authentication has occurred.
UIDAI’s refreshed app experience allows one device to manage up to five Aadhaar records and supports a family profile flow intended for situations where a household member needs to manage multiple profiles. The design retains explicit consent prompts, so individuals can approve use of a profile for authentication or data sharing.
For privacy controls, the app adds options for users to lock and unlock biometrics, view authentication logs, and update addresses or mobile numbers through the app rather than visiting an enrolment centre. Authentication timestamps and device details are also presented to help users spot suspicious activity and revoke permissions if another app attempts to act on their profile.
UIDAI is also introducing a category of Offline Verification Seeking Entities that can verify Aadhaar QR codes without querying the central database, positioning the approach as a way to reduce downstream storage of Aadhaar numbers by service providers. MeitY Secretary S Krishnan described a common risk pattern where Aadhaar numbers collected for verification are kept in “an excel sheet somewhere, which leaks.”
On wallet integration, UIDAI’s partnerships are aimed at supporting Aadhaar verifiable credentials that can be stored in consumer wallets and used with explicit consent, including credentials built on ISO 18013-5 and W3C standards. A senior UIDAI official framed the approach as trust-based, comparing wallet storage decisions to how users choose whether to rely on password managers.
Sources: Hindustan Times, Google Blog
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By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
