How to lock, unlock Aadhaar Card online; check details here

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Aadhaar Card is one of the important documents for every Indian citizen, it is required for anything from opening a bank account to filing income tax returns. Aadhaar card is also used for various purposes in your life. If it is lost or misplaced then you may face a problem, so it is essential to keep it safe. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issues the 12-digit unique number which also serves as a valid proof and is an essential document for availing government subsidies.

In recent times, the security of Aadhaar has come under scrutiny which somehow prompted UIDAI to provide the facility to lock/unlock Aadhaar biometric data online. This service is meant to help users protect their biometric details from being misused in one way or the other. It is worth noting that many agencies require applicants to verify their details using the Aadhar biometric authentication facility.

There are two ways to lock and unlock Aadhaar biometric data online – through UIDAI’s portal and through mAadhaar app. mAadhaar is the official app of UIDAI. Both the methods are safe enough and you can access them 24×7 to protect your Aadhar biometrics.

Here is a step by step guide you can follow to lock/unlock biometric data online through UIDAI:

How to lock Aadhaar biometric data online through UIDAI

-Visit UIDAI's official website, https://uidai.gov.in/

-Select My Aadhaar.

-Click on Lock/Unlock Biometrics from the Aadhar Services

-Click on the message 'I Understand that after biometric lock enables, I will not perform biometric authentication until I unlock Biometrics' and then click on Lock/Unlock Biometrics.

-Enter your 12-digit Aadhar card number and a captcha code.

-Click on Send OTP.

-Submit it after entering OTP

-Click on 'Enable locking feature'

After Biometric is locked successfully, it is not accessible for any authentication purposes.

You can unlock the locked biometric data so that the same can be used for authentication anytime you wish to use your biometrics for authentication purposes. Through UIDAI website, you can unlock the Aadhar biometric.

How to unlock Aadhaar biometric data online through UIDAI

-Visit UIDAI's official website

-Select My Aadhaar.

-Click on the message 'I Understand that after biometric lock enable, I will not perform biometric authentication until I unlock Biometrics' and then click on 'Lock/Unlock Biometrics'.

-Enter your 12-digit Aadhar card number and a captcha code.

-Click on Send OTP

-Submit it after entering OTP.

-Click on Unlock Biometrics.

Your biometrics will be unlocked temporarily for 10 minutes. To disable the lock permanently click on Disable Locking Feature. Till you lock it again, your Aadhaar biometrics will be disabled permanently.