New Aadhaar app with facial authentication launched in testing phase

The new app has a revamped design, compared to the existing mAadhaar app. File.
| Photo Credit: V.V. Krishnan

A new Aadhaar app will be put out by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) soon, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw said at the Aadhaar Samvaad event in Delhi on Tuesday.

The new app has a revamped design, compared to the existing mAadhaar app. It also has a facial recognition feature to securely share Aadhaar data with hotels and other “requesting” entities without the need to share a hard copy.

“Now, with just a tap, users can share only the necessary data, giving them complete control over their personal information,” Mr. Vaishnaw said.

The app was formally launched at the Samvaad, which the government described in a news release as hosting “ecosystem partners including from central government departments and States”. However, it is not yet available to all users.

Facial recognition

The facial recognition tool for verifying Aadhaar-holders’ identity for use-cases like verification during a Know-Your-Customer (KYC) process has existed for a few months, available through an app called AadhaarFaceRD. This app is currently only triggered through a KYC request by scanning a QR code, after which the user is prompted to show their face to their smartphone camera and blink, after which their details are verified.

Facial recognition authentication by Aadhaar is just getting started — there are over eight crore daily authentications through fingerprints or one-time passcodes on a daily basis, but the cumulative facial authentication count is still sizable at 15 crore. 

“This app is an early adopters’ release for a small group of users including all the registered participants of this Aadhaar Samvaad event,” UIDAI said in a statement. “Based on the feedback received from users and ecosystem partners, UIDAI will soon make it accessible to all.”