Google Pay rolls out Aadhaar-based authentication for UPI activation

Starting today, Google Pay users can register for UPI using Aadhaar via National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). With the Aadhaar-based UPI onboarding flow, Google Pay users will be able to set their UPI PIN without a debit card. This move is expected to help users set up UPI IDs and enable them to make digital payments. The goal is also to boost financial inclusion. This feature is now available to bank account holders of supported banks.

Users who want to onboard UPI via Aadhaar, will need to ensure that (a) their phone number is registered with UIDAI and bank are the same, and (b) their bank account is Aadhaar linked.

The 3-step process

On Google Pay, users have the option to select between Debit card or Aadhaar based UPI onboarding. If they select Aadhaar, then users will need to enter the first six digits of their Aadhaar number to initiate the process.

In order to complete the authentication step, users will enter OTPs received from UIDAI and their bank.

Subsequently, their respective bank will complete the process and they can set their UPI PIN.

Customers will then be able to use Google Pay app to make transactions or check balance. Once a user enters the first six digits of an Aadhaar number, it is sent to UIDAI via NPCI for validation.

Google says that it does not store the Aadhaar number and merely acts as a facilitator in sharing the same with the NPCI for validation.

Sharath Bulusu, Director of Product Management from Google, “We are thrilled to announce UPI activation using Aadhaar-based OTP authentication on Google Pay, bringing simplicity and convenience to our users. Aligned with the Government's vision to drive financial inclusion, this feature will further strengthen our efforts to drive deeper penetration for digital payments in India.”