Quicksplained: All you need to know about new Aadhar app with face ID, QR code features

The long-awaited Aadhaar mobile app has been introduced, which is designed to make verification as easy as ‘making a UPI payment’.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw unveiled the app, which uses facial recognition and artificial intelligence to offer Aadhaar-based digital services to citizens via a smartphone.

Still in its beta stage, the app has been developed with a strong focus on protecting user privacy.

It is built to prevent any possibility of Aadhaar information being altered, falsified or misused.

In this explainer, we look at everything you need to know about the app, including its main features and when it will become accessible to the public.

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Explained: What is the new Aadhaar app?

1. The application includes instant verification via QR code and real-time face recognition for identity checks.

2. It removes the need to carry a physical Aadhaar card or submit printed copies while travelling, checking into hotels or making purchases.

New Aadhaar App
Face ID authentication via mobile app

❌ No physical card
❌ No photocopies

🧵Features👇 pic.twitter.com/xc6cr6grL0

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) April 8, 2025

3. By combining facial recognition and artificial intelligence, the app brings Aadhaar-based digital identity services to mobile devices.

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4. Instead of presenting hard copies of Aadhaar, individuals will be able to confirm their identity by scanning a QR code through the app.

5. The new app gives users the ability to share only essential details, allowing full control over what personal data is disclosed.

6. Alongside face recognition, the app also supports QR-based verification. Much like how UPI QR codes are widely used across India, Aadhaar verification QR codes will soon be placed at key ‘authentication points’.

7. People will simply scan a QR code using the app, and their identity will be confirmed through facial recognition. The ID is sent securely from the user’s own phone rather than a paper copy.

8. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said this approach would help prevent unauthorised use and leaks of Aadhaar data.

3/ With the new Aadhaar app, users no longer need to get their Aadhaar scanned or photocopied.
❌ No more scanned & printed copies pic.twitter.com/kAaP3vp3cQ

— Ashwini Vaishnaw (@AshwiniVaishnaw) April 8, 2025

9. The app has been developed in partnership with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

10. This updated version is meant to offer a safer and easier way to confirm identity in different situations. According to the union minister, the app is entirely digital, secure, and can only be accessed with the user’s permission.

When will it be available for all users?

For now, the new Aadhaar app is being launched in an early access format.

Initially, it will be offered to a limited group, including all those who registered for the Aadhaar Samvaad event.

UIDAI said this stage will help the agency collect input from both users and partners, which will be used to refine the app ahead of a wider launch.

“Based on the feedback received from users and ecosystem partners, UIDAI will soon make it accessible to all,” UIDAI said in a statement.

This phased release is aimed at ensuring the final version performs effectively and reliably.

Notably, the digital verification feature comes with multiple benefits. Most notably, it removes the need to carry physical Aadhaar documents, which are prone to being lost, stolen or altered.

With the app, users can securely confirm their identity in real-time, reducing the chance of fraud or duplication.

UIDAI officials added that the Aadhaar face authentication system is already in active use, with over 15 crore verifications carried out every month across various fields.