With the goal of reaching out to large numbers of smartphone users the new mAadhaar is released by Unique Identification Authority of India. The App features an array of Aadhaar services and a personalised section for the Aadhaar holder who can carry their Aadhaar information in form of a soft copy, instead of carrying a physical copy all the time.
The key features in mAadhaar:
Multilingual : In order to ensure the Aadhaar Services are accessible to linguistically diverse residents of India, the menu, button labels and form fields are provided in English as well as in 12 Indian languages (Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu). After installation the user will be prompted to select any of the preferred language. However the input fields in the forms will accept data entered in English language only. This is done to help user avoid facing the challenges of typing in regional languages (due to limitation in the mobile keyboards).
Universality: Resident with or without Aadhaar can install this App in their smart phones. However to avail personalised Aadhaar services the resident will have to register their Aadhaar Profile in the App.
Aadhaar Online Services on Mobile: The mAadhaar user can avail the featured services for themselves as well as for any other resident seeking Aadhaar or related help.
The functionalities are broadly grouped as :
Main Service Dashboard : Direct access to download Aadhaar, Order an Reprint, Address Update, Download offline eKYC, Show or Scan QR Code, Verify Aadhaar, Verify mail/email, retrieve UID/EID, Request for Address Validation Letter
Request Status Services : To help resident check status of various online requests.
My Aadhaar: This is a personalised section for Aadhaar holder where resident will not have to enter their Aadhaar number to avail Aadhaar services. In addition this section also provides facility for the resident to lock/unlock their Aadhaar or Biometric Authentication.
Aadhaar Locking – Aadhaar holder can lock their UID/Aadhaar number anytime they wish.
Biometric locking/unlocking secures biometric authentication by locking biometrics data. Once resident enables Biometric Locking system their biometric remains locked till the Aadhaar Holder chose to either unlock it (which is temporary) or Disable the Locking system.
TOTP generation – Time-based One-Time Password is an automatically generated temporary password which can be used instead of SMS based OTP.
Update of profile – To updated view of Aadhaar profile data after successful completion of update request.
Sharing of QR code and eKYC data by Aadhaar Number holder helps Aadhaar user share their password protected eKYC or QR code for safe and paperless verification.
Multi-profile: Aadhaar holder can include multiple (upto 3) profiles (with same registered mobile number) in their profile section.
Locate Enrolment Center helps user find nearest Enrolment Center.
After going through the reviews of the government Aadhar updating centre’s decided not to visit the centre as considered it would be a waste of time & energy to just update my mobile number & email address. After doing a lot of research I was baffled to find out that at this age of advanced technology we still have to visit the updating centre to make a simple change like mobile number & email address. However, I came across this app hoping that I will at least be able to book an appointment to visit the updating centre on the specified date & time and the updating centre close to my location was HDFC Bank and I am sure they will definitely get this done without any hassles, but the issue here is that I cannot select the appointment date on the calendar as the indicator shows that the dates marked in red is “Slots Not Available” and the dates marked in green is “Slots Available” however on the calendar I can see dates marked in red till 19 May 2021..but cannot find dates marked in green even after looking for future dates like as far as in the year 2022..all the dates are greyed out and cannot be selected..does this mean that I cannot have an appointment even till next year..does this mean that the government employees working under Aadhaar department is busy for such a long time..if so then this is ridiculous..no point in creating an app where we cannot book even a single appointment..forget about updating basic details like mobile number & email address remotely..I will give a five star rating if I’m able to book at least an appointment..#JaiHind
Horrible user experience
sagarjain
I wish I could give this app negative stars but that option doesn't exist. The amount of issues with this app make me wonder why it has been created in the first place. It also makes me sad that it hasn't been made taking into consideration people who are not at all tech savvy. I'm trying to get an appointment for our house maid who is yet to get her Aadhar number. My experience is mentioned below. 1. Upon logging in itself it says there's an error right at the landing page without having clicked on any options. Major red flag. 2. After that my entire data entered isn't saved at intervals thereby making the procedure extremely cumbersome as the data required to generate an appointment is quite extensive warranting re-entry after every app failure.3. After entering the data, the appointment ID is created however there's no provision to further act on it as the app freezes intermittently. 4. Now if you're lucky enough to get to the appointment booking stage, it will show you unnecessary options and when you select the one you are familiar with it will say it doesn't exist. A simple solution: just show the centres who are facilitating this work instead of showing every single post office in the centre menu. To whoever who has developed this app. Please redesign this app. It shouldn't be so difficult & frustrating to get an appointment. You'll just miss the objective of getting more people into the Aadhar database which was the mission objective from the very beginning. The length of my review is a testament to how frustrated one may become to use that app. I wrote this review after my 6th unsuccessful attempt to get a single appointment.
Misleading declaration regarding data collection
Ashokayan
On the App Store listing page, it’s mentioned that the developer does not collect any data. However, once you download the app, you are presented with a screen to give your consent to let the developer collect unexplained type of data related to device also. I can understand that the app needs Aadhar number to provide the intended services but what that consent screen says is that this is a “Test Program” and the tech teams will also collect additional data of device and other parameters. If this is a test program or beta app then this fact should have been mentioned on listing page itself. Why mislead people? Don’t know if Apple has also been misled to allow this app in the App Store by giving false declaration.
Intermittent performance issues
Rajeev Lather
The interface is good and it’s very user friendly however most of the features don’t work smoothly. I had to try multiple times in order to link my and my family aadhaar cards in this app. Another feedback is regarding status check of requests. For example, I submitted a reprint request for my aadhaar but now when I want to check the status, it asks me to enter the aadhaar and SIN number and other details again which I had already submitted while raising the request. It should be visible in the history without having need to enter all details again. Please consider this in next update. Giving one star now but will review it periodically and change the rating if there is any change in the performance and features.
SDK 26
Accessibility
Version 3.21.0
The developer, UIDAI, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Privacy practices may vary based, for example, on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Provider
Unique Identification Authority Of India, Government of India