India's Aadhaar Goes Offline: New App Sparks Privacy Fears

India is expanding the reach of Aadhaar, its massive digital identity system, into everyday private life through a new application and offline verification support. Announced in late January 2026, these changes allow individuals to share limited personal information with various services like hotels and workplaces without real-time checks against the central database. The existing mAadhaar app continues to operate in parallel.

The new app also facilitates Aadhaar's integration with mobile wallets, including Google Wallet, and is being promoted for use in policing and hospitality, such as guest monitoring platforms. Officials state these efforts are intended to replace physical photocopies and manual ID checks with a consent-based, offline verification method, aiming to give users more control over their shared data and enable verification at scale.

Despite the new app's rapid uptake, surpassing the older mAadhaar in downloads, digital rights groups express concerns. They argue that these changes do not adequately address long-standing risks like database inaccuracies, security lapses, and poor redress mechanisms. Critics question the timing of the rollout, advocating for the establishment of India's Data Protection Board before further expansion.

Concerns also persist that the offline verification system might inadvertently permit private-sector use of Aadhaar in ways previously barred by the Supreme Court. The expansion is shifting Aadhaar from a backend tool to a more visible layer of daily life, prompting close observation from governments and tech companies worldwide.