Aadhaar app update: Here's a stepwise guide on how to change your linked mobile number from home

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) updated Aadhaar app allows users to change their linked mobile phone number from home without the need to visit an Aadhaar enrolment centre.

The measure aims to reduce need to physically visit the Aadhaar enrollment centre and is a big relief for senior citizens and those with reduced access (mobility issues, resident far away from closest office, etc).

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to change your Aadhaar phone number

• Download the Aadhaar app on your smartphone — Android (Google Play Store) or iOS (Apple App Store).
• Once on the app, select the ‘Mobile Number Update’ — this option has been made live
• Fill in your updated phone number and the app will send you a one-time password (OTP) to the new number and request face authentication to verify your identity.
• Once the verification process is complete, your linked phone number will be updated in the Aadhaar records.

What else does the update app offer and not offer?

• Besides this, you will also find option to update your address, email and name, which are not yet made “live”.
• Some of the Aadhaar details that still require you to queue up at an enrolment centre offline, include updating your biometric fingerprint, date of birth (DoB), iris scan or photo updates.

UIDAI makes registration mandatory for entities — here's why

Meanwhile, the UIDAI this month has also approved a new rule that will require entities to register with them to use Aadhaar to verify customer identities, CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar told PTI.

This especially includes entities such as event locations and hotels, who collect Aadhaar data from customers and store them in physical form. The decision will discourage such entities from misusing the data, as per the report.

How will this work?

• According to Kumar, the new rule will allow registered entities to verify individuals by scanning a QR code or by connecting with the new Aadhaar app.
• It will also help in avoiding delays caused by outages in the intermediate servers that connect to the central Aadhaar database, ensuring the smoother processing of various services.
• For those entities that prefer offline verification, UIDAI will provide access to an API (application programming interface) through which they can update their system for Aadhaar verification, PTI reported.
• The new app is expected to further improve the Aadhaar authentication service in line with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act). It is expected to be fully operational within the next 18 months.

Key features of the new Aadhaar app:

• Download Aadhaar (Regular & Masked)
• Update Address Online
• Aadhaar PVC Card Order
• Offline KYC (XML File)
• Aadhaar Lock/Unlock
• Verify Aadhaar Number
• Retrieve UID / EID
• Scan QR Code for Validation
• Digital Aadhaar Wallet
• Biometric Lock/Unlock
• Aadhaar Authentication History