With over 19.1 million uses reported by the Ministry of Electronics & IT, UIDAI’s biometric locking feature offers cardholders complete control over their personal verification data.
NEW DELHI — The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has significantly enhanced user privacy tools with its updated Aadhaar mobile application. According to data released by the the Ministry of Electronics & IT, residents across India have utilized the Biometric Lock/Unlock feature more than 19.1 million (1.91 crore) times, demonstrating growing public awareness around securing personal identity credentials.
Add rightsofemployees.com as a Preferred Source
This privacy feature enables cardholders to lock down their registered fingerprint, iris, and facial recognition modalities with a few taps on their smartphone.
1. What Is Biometric Locking and How Does It Work?
Biometric locking prevents unauthorized entities from conducting biometric-based Aadhaar authentications. Once locked, any attempt to use your fingerprint, iris scan, or face match for banking, SIM activation, or government services will be automatically rejected by UIDAI servers.
🔒 Status: LOCKED
🛑 Fingerprint Scan ➔ Rejected (Error Code 330)
🛑 Iris Scan ➔ Rejected (Error Code 330)
🛑 Face Matching ➔ Rejected (Error Code 330)
✅ Demographic/OTP ➔ Remains Active
When an authentication attempt is made while biometrics are locked, the system returns Error Code ‘330’, signaling that the resident has intentionally disabled biometric verification.
Key Distinction: Locking your biometrics does not block OTP-based or demographic authentication methods. It specifically secures physical biometric scans against identity theft or fraudulent usage.
2. Who Can Use This Feature?
-
Prerequisite: The feature is available exclusively to Aadhaar number holders who have an active mobile number registered with their Aadhaar account.
-
Mobile Dependency: Because authentication security relies on your linked contact number, losing access to your registered mobile phone requires a recovery process before you can manage biometric controls again.
Step-by-Step Instructions: Locking & Unlocking Biometrics
Follow these step-by-step procedures to manage your biometric security directly within the app.
How to Lock Your Biometrics
How to Unlock Your Biometrics
Launch the Aadhaar app and authenticate using your security MPIN.
Tap the “Biometrics Locked” icon displayed on the home screen or under security controls.
Tap “Confirm Unlock Biometrics” to temporarily or permanently enable your biometrics for upcoming verifications.
Add rightsofemployees.com as a Preferred Source
