Biometric passports in Google Wallet take (domestic) flight in US

Google Wallet’s feature for digitizing U.S. biometric passports has graduated to a production launch, enabling domestic travel within the country through digital ID.

The TSA is accepting Americans’ biometric passports presented as an “ID pass” within Google Wallet at select checkpoints. Digitized passports cannot be used for international flights to or from the U.S.

The feature was launched for beta testing in September, when Google unveiled TSA acceptance and plans to use the credentials for other use cases, including account recovery, identity verification and car rentals. Given the paucity of national ID credentials in the U.S., and the modest pace of mobile driver’s license (mDL) launches at the state level, Google apparently sees an opportunity to play an even larger role in American’s lives.

Americans can enroll their passports in Google Wallet if they are running Google Play services version 24.47.35 on Android 9+, according to 9to5Google.

Enrollment includes a scan of the passport’s NFC chip, and a short video used for a biometric liveness check and a biometric match against the passport’s facial image. Presentation is carried out through a QR code or by “tapping” an NFC reader.

Travelers are advised to continue carrying their physical ID for the time being, just in case.

Google Wallet also supports mDLs from Maryland, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, California and New Mexico.

Article Topics

biometric passport  |  digital ID  |  digital travel  |  Google Wallet  |  identity verification  |  TSA  |  United States