What happened: Aadhaar App usage milestone and expansion of Aadhaar offline verification
UIDAI reported a major adoption milestone for the Aadhaar App and also expanded the ecosystem for Aadhaar offline verification. The Aadhaar App crossed 50 million (5 crore) downloads, positioning the phone-based Aadhaar App as a resident-facing interface for Aadhaar number holders to access multiple services digitally. UIDAI also reported onboarding more than 200 Offline Verification Seeking Entities (OVSEs) for Aadhaar offline verification since its roll out in January.
According to the government announcement, the Aadhaar App enables services including mobile number update, address update, email update, biometric lock/unlock, and e-Aadhaar download (download of Aadhaar electronically). UIDAI also shared usage figures linked to these services via the Aadhaar App:
Background and earlier position: “Show, Share and Verify” and the need for offline verification
UIDAI described the Aadhaar App as being built around the principle of “Show, Share and Verify”. In plain terms, this principle is meant to give Aadhaar number holders control over how Aadhaar information is used, while enabling identity verification in a convenient way.
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