What you need to know
- A report states California is preparing to bring its state ID to Google Wallet's digital experience.
- A simple set of steps will let users utilize their ID at "select" TSA terminals without needing California's specific digital wallet app.
- Google was recently spotted testing a new Wallet feature that will let users store "everything else" like text-based documents.
Google's digital wallet is preparing to receive another state's ID as it continues to build up its support portfolio.
As spotted by 9to5Google, the State of California is working on supporting a legal digital ID in Google Wallet at some point this year. The state has reportedly started testing support for Wallet among DMV employees and will likely extend this to regular civilians in the future. Early information suggests that adding the state's ID to Wallet will be straightforward.
Users can soon hop into Wallet's settings and tap "Add to Wallet." From there, tapping "ID Card" will inform users what's required to proceed.
The good news here is that it doesn't seem as though users will need California's created app, CA DMV Wallet, to use a digital ID. This should save users time as Wallet is typically available across all Android phones and can hold a majority of your bank cards, credit cards, and more.
The digital state ID variant will let Californians use it at "select" terminals at SFO (San Francisco International Airport), SJC (San Jose International Airport), and LAX (Los Angeles International Airport).
Earlier this year, Google's director of product management for Google Wallet, Dong Min Kim mentioned that "more states" will support digital IDs in the following months. There weren't any specifics discussed, however, it seems California will be among the new states enabling support. Wallet has supported Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, and Maryland IDs since 2023.
Digital wallets, specifically Google, have had some maneuvering to do considering support for state IDs requires a close working relationship with the state in question. Additionally, Kim states that Google wants to get Wallet to a point where folks can leave the physical version at home — but that's a far-off reality.
While digital IDs are useful for convenience, it's still recommended that people bring the physical version in case something goes wrong.
In other news, it was discovered that Google wants Wallet to help users store "everything else." An APK teardown showed the company's work to develop a text-based document scanning feature for student IDs, passports, and resident cards. Wallet will "automatically detect" whether your uploaded document is general or private and categorize it appropriately.
