The short answer
NPCI told banks and UPI apps to stop showing a person's full registered mobile number to whoever is on the
other side of a payment. In practice, most UPI apps now show at most the last four digits of a
mobile number, with the rest replaced by dots — on payment screens, in saved contacts, and on QR-based
payments, even after the payment is complete. The same treatment applies to account numbers and UPI IDs built
from a number. Apps are also expected to offer a username-based UPI ID (a chosen name plus a
bank handle, such as rahul.pay@ybl) as the default option going forward, instead of one built
from the phone number.
This is a visibility change, not a functionality change — a number-based UPI ID keeps working. What's different is how much of it a stranger gets to see.
What actually changed
Now hidden from the other party
- All but the last four digits of your registered mobile number.
- The same masking on a linked account number shown on screen.
- Your full number after a QR-code payment, not only during it.
Stays exactly the same
- A number-based UPI ID keeps sending and receiving money.
- Your bank still has your full number for OTPs, alerts and KYC.
- You still confirm the resolved payee name before you pay.
In other words, the rule changes what a payee, a saved contact list, or a QR scan reveals about you — not whether your existing payment address works.
Why NPCI made this change
Coverage of the circular ties it to a rise in complaints — particularly from women — about a phone number being visible (and sometimes misused) simply from receiving or requesting a UPI payment. A mobile number is also an easy starting point for follow-up harassment or social-engineering attempts once someone has it, which is the underlying privacy problem username-based IDs are meant to reduce.
Switch to a username-based ID by app
The steps differ slightly by app, but the shape is the same everywhere: open your profile, find UPI IDs, add a new one, and type a username instead of accepting the number. Each guide below covers one app's current screens and its own tips.
Frequently asked questions
See the FAQ list above the article body — the same questions render there with the Privacy Checker linked for a hands-on next step.
Related UPI tools and guides
Sources and methodology
- NPCI: UPI FAQs — official background on UPI IDs and participants.
- MediaNama: NPCI asks UPI apps to mask phone numbers, pushes username IDs — reporting on NPCI's directive and compliance timeline.
- Business Standard: NPCI plans to mask phone numbers on UPI apps — masking scope, including QR-code payments.
- Business Today: Your UPI payments could soon be more private — username-based ID as the intended default.
NPCI has not published the underlying circular as a standalone public document at the time of writing, so this guide relies on NPCI's own UPI FAQ page plus corroborating reporting from three independent outlets rather than a single primary source. If your own app's behaviour differs from what's described here, its in-app help center is the more current reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my mobile number suddenly showing as stars in my UPI app?
NPCI directed banks and UPI apps to stop displaying a payer's or payee's full registered mobile number to the other side of a transaction. Apps rolled this out to comply, so a number that used to show in full, such as in a payment confirmation or a saved contact, may now show with only its last four digits visible and the rest replaced by dots or asterisks.
Is my old mobile-number-based UPI ID still valid?
Based on NPCI's circular and how apps have implemented it, this is a display change, not a functional one — a mobile-number-based UPI ID keeps sending and receiving payments as before. What changes is that the other party now sees it partially masked instead of in full. If a specific transaction behaves unexpectedly, confirm directly with your bank or app, since exact handling can vary by app version.
Do I have to switch to a username-based UPI ID?
No. Masking applies automatically to any UPI ID, including one built from your number. Switching to a username-based ID such as rahul.pay@ybl is optional and mainly useful because it never shows a number pattern at all — masked or not — and stops you having to hand out your mobile number to receive money.
Does masking affect UPI QR codes too?
Yes. Coverage of NPCI's circular states that a scanned payment QR should not reveal the payer's or payee's full mobile number even after the payment completes, matching the same last-four-digits treatment used elsewhere in the app.
Will every UPI app show exactly the same masking?
The rule sets a floor — no more than the last four digits shown — but the exact screen, wording, and rollout timing is up to each app and can differ between Android and iOS or between app versions. Treat small differences in how a screen looks as normal rather than a bug.