Digital Life / India

Aadhaar App 2026: QR checks, app features and reviews

UIDAI's new Aadhaar App is meant to move everyday identity checks away from photocopies and toward consent-based QR verification. The promise is useful. The early user feedback says the rollout still needs care.

QR verifyFace authMobile updateBiometric lock
Clean Aadhaar App 2026 guide visual with demo ID card and phone screen
Editorial illustration. The card and phone screen are demo visuals, not a real Aadhaar card.

Short answer

What is new?

The new Aadhaar App lets residents show, share, verify and manage Aadhaar-linked identity from a phone. UIDAI says it supports selective sharing, QR-based verification, face authentication, authentication history, biometric lock/unlock, mobile number update, address update and management of up to five Aadhaar profiles on one device.

QR

QR-based verification

For supported checks, a verifier can scan a QR flow instead of asking for a photocopy.

ID

Face authentication

Face verification is used as a proof-of-presence layer in supported Aadhaar flows.

UP

Mobile and address updates

UIDAI says the app is already being used for mobile number and address updates.

LOCK

Biometric lock

Users can lock or unlock biometrics from the app, but should understand when services may need it unlocked.

Official app-screen previews

The screenshots below are loaded from the public Google Play listing so readers can see the official app-gallery style without us rehosting those images. Open the Play Store listing for the full gallery.

Official Aadhaar app screenshot from Google Play listing
Official Play Store screenshot preview.
Official Aadhaar app screenshot from Google Play listing
Official Play Store screenshot preview.
Official Aadhaar app screenshot from Google Play listing
Official Play Store screenshot preview.

What the Play Store page says

The Google Play listing describes the app around a simple idea: show, share and verify Aadhaar from the phone. As of this check, the listing showed a 3.5-star rating, roughly 31.8K-31.9K reviews, 1Cr+ downloads, an app update date of May 18, 2026, and a government/productivity classification.

Positive signal

Official UIDAI listing, large install base and a clear privacy/use-case direction around selective sharing.

Common complaint

Recent visible reviews mention face-registration timeouts and difficulty starting or completing registration.

Migration concern

One visible review says older app profiles were not automatically imported, so users may need to add profiles again.

Why this matters

Aadhaar is used in many everyday situations where people are asked for copies of identity documents. UIDAI is positioning the new app around data minimisation: share only the necessary information, with consent, instead of giving away a full physical copy every time.

UIDAI's May 2026 release said the app crossed 21 million downloads in three months. The authority also said more than 28 lakh people had updated mobile numbers through the app and nearly 6 lakh had updated addresses.

What users should check before using it

  • Download only from the official UIDAI-linked Play Store or App Store pages.
  • Read the permission/data safety information before sharing identity data.
  • Check exactly what a verifier is asking for before approving a sharing flow.
  • Do not share OTPs, screenshots, full Aadhaar details or face-auth help requests with unknown people.
  • If face authentication or registration fails, wait for official updates instead of using third-party "fix" services.

What this is not

This is not a reason to share Aadhaar freely. It is also not proof that every hotel, hospital, employer or platform will immediately support the new verification flow. The practical value depends on how widely verification-seeking entities adopt UIDAI's offline verification ecosystem.

FAQ

Is the new Aadhaar App available for Android and iPhone? UIDAI's May 2026 release lists Android and iOS download links.

Can the app update mobile number? UIDAI says residents have used the new app to update mobile numbers, and its February release said mobile-update usage crossed one million within three weeks.

Can one phone manage family Aadhaar profiles? UIDAI says the app allows management of up to five Aadhaar profiles on a single device.