Next digital ID in US: Maryland tests Android app

Google’s first public step into digital U.S. state IDs will fall in Maryland, which was implied by the company in May.

At the same time, the state of Arizona is updating the physical version of its ID.

Beta testing for some Android users is underway, according to Google’s wallet help page. No financial details for the taxpayer-funded project were released.

Maryland (and several other state) biometric digital IDs are available for Apple’s wallet app.

Those eligible for Google’s test program must have Android 8 and up and set up screen lock. Bluetooth and Nearby functions have to be active, and users have to subscribe to its Play Services beta (which this month introduces digital car keys for Xiaomi phones).

The company says it can take “a few days” to add an ID to their wallet right now. Only one device at a time can hold a digital ID, and steps have been created to remove the ID.

Tech trade and culture publication The Verge notes that when Google announced it was working on digital ID to be stored in Android wallets in May, a slide let slip that Maryland would likely be Google’s first testing ground.

Meanwhile, the state of Arizona, where Apple debuted its first driver’s license in its wallet, is updating its physical license.

State officials signed a three-year contract to bolster the document’s anti-fraud features.

Thales will add multiple laser imaging functions that make different data to appear under various lighting conditions. The sides of the new polycarbonate cards also will display high-resolution visual elements that are difficult to reproduce at that scale.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  Google  |  mDL (mobile driver's license)  |  Thales Digital Identity and Security  |  United States