As you know, Aadhaar is set to become your new identity in this digital world. So right from using mobile phone services to filing your income tax returns, you need to quote your Aadhaar number and confirm your identity. But carrying around an Aadhaar card is a tedious task, and it’s a bit risky too. Unique Identification Authority Of India (UIDAI) has come up with a smart solution... It recently launched a mobile app ‘mAadhaar’ that will enable you to carry Aadhaar in your cellphone. Besides this, ‘mAadhaar’ will save you from the hassle of producing your demographic information in the manual form when needed. A mobile app will do that job for you now. The app will also provide you with a facility to lock and unlock your biometric details. This is an added security measure. How to go about using the app?

You can download this app only if your smartphone operates on Android version of 5 or above. In other words, older smartphone won’t let you download this App.

You can download your Aadhaar details only on a mobile number registered with the UIDAI database. In case, you want to use this app on a mobile number which is not linked to your Aadhaar at present, first, you need to update the information with UIDAI.

Make sure you download the right app as there are many fake/phishing apps. Download the one that’s offered by UIDAI.

How does this app work?

Right now the UIDAI is offering you a beta version of the app, meaning the app does not support all functions embedded in it.

Once you download this app, it will prompt you to set the password which needs to range from 8-12 characters with at least one number and one special character such as @ and # etc. At least one alphabet should be in capital letters.

Once you set the password, you can punch in your Aadhaar number and scan the QR (Quick Response) code printed on the Aadhaar card.

Since the app has the permission to read and send SMS from your cellphone, it will auto verify the information you filled in, using TOPT (Time-based-One-Time-Password). What’s noteworthy is, you can’t manually type the TOTP for this app—which is an added security feature.

It might be too early to comment on how helpful the app is. However, in case you are someone who doesn’t like carrying important documents physically, this app can prove handy.

In case you download ‘mAadhaar’, don’t forget to download all updates as and when they are released. With every update, UIDAI will try to add more features to this unique app.