Aadhaar App Crosses 5 Crore Downloads, Boosting Digital Aadhaar Services
New Delhi, August 20: The Aadhaar App has crossed 5 crore downloads, marking a significant milestone in the adoption of convenient and digital-first Aadhaar services across the country.
The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology said on Thursday that the milestone reflects the growing use of the app as a digital interface between Aadhaar number holders and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
The app allows residents to access several Aadhaar-related services directly through their smartphones, including mobile number updates, address and email updates, biometric lock/unlock and e-Aadhaar downloads.
The digital services reduce the need for residents to visit Aadhaar centres for routine updates and services.
According to the Ministry, more than 60 lakh mobile number updates, over 15 lakh address updates and more than 23 lakh email updates have already been completed through the app.
Built Around 'Show, Share and Verify'
The Aadhaar App has been designed around the principle of "Show, Share and Verify", giving Aadhaar holders greater control over the use of their identity information while enabling convenient and secure identity verification.
Over 200 Entities Onboarded for Offline Verification
Alongside the expansion of the Aadhaar App, UIDAI is strengthening the ecosystem for secure and consent-based offline identity verification.
Since the initiative was rolled out in January, more than 200 entities have been onboarded as Offline Verification Seeking Entities (OVSEs).
The initiative enables service providers to conduct secure and paperless verification using Aadhaar's offline mechanisms.
These mechanisms include QR code-based verification and secure digitally signed documents, allowing identity information to be verified without requiring real-time connectivity to UIDAI's central database.
The offline verification framework also follows a resident-centric approach by allowing Aadhaar holders to share only the minimum information required for verification.
The expansion of the Aadhaar App and growing adoption of offline verification are aligned with the government's Digital India vision and its broader objective of improving ease of living through secure, accessible and technology-enabled public services.