The revolution wrought by smartphones has been something of a mixed blessing. On one hand, you have kids stealing cars for TikTok likes, and on the other, you have genuinely useful apps making your life subtly better (much like these amazing camera phonescan help you take better photos). One of those apps is Google Wallet which lets you securely digitize many of the cards in your wallet as well as tickets to concerts and sporting events.
Until recently, it wasn’t possible to put your driver’s license in your Google Wallet, but you’re able to do it now if you live in Maryland. Even if you don’t live in Maryland, there’s a good chance that Google Wallet will support your state soon since half of the country has either implemented a mobile ID program or is rolling it out.
How to add your ID to Google Wallet
Adding your state ID or driver’s license is a bit more involved than adding a loyalty card to your Wallet.
According to Google, your ID should be verified in minutes.
What can you do with your digital ID?
Not much, as it turns out. At least not yet, anyway.According to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, its digital driver’s license can only be used at a limited number of airports around the country, and even then, you still need to have your physical ID on you in case there’s an issue with scanning your device.
Other states have issued their own digital ID programs, with Colorado and Arizona leading the field in terms of functionality and degree of acceptance. Both states allow you to use your mobile ID in businesses, law enforcement, and state agencies, although in both cases, acceptance of mobile IDs is voluntary. Georgia is much like Maryland in that their mobile ID program is only usable at TSA checkpoints in airports.
What’s next for mobile ID?
It’s hard to say what the future holds for any new technology, and digital identification is no exception. Ultimately, it comes down to acceptance. As things stand now, each state has its own electronic infrastructure to handle IDs, how they can be used, and how their information can be verified, and that’s a major obstacle to widespread adoption. It’s one thing for your Colorado digital ID to be valid for traffic stops in some Colorado localities. However, it’s another thing for your digital driver’s license to be valid across state lines.
This problem is insurmountable as things currently stand, but a change could be coming. The Real ID Act has been in the works since 2005. Although its primary purpose is to increase the security of state-issued IDs to access federal facilities and boarding airplanes, it also mandates that states share their ID databases with each other. Not all states are on board with sharing their databases, and until big holdouts like California, New York, and Texas decide to join in, digital IDs will likely remain a local phenomenon.
Keep your drivers license in your phone!
If the technology takes off, it can be used in lots of creative ways. Instead of showing your driver’s license or ID (and address) to the creepy bartender, just wave your phone over an NFC reader. Likewise, with job applications. An employer doesn’t need to know where you live to know if you’re eligible to work.
As for now, this is all a pipe dream, but the technological foundations have been laid, so don’t be surprised if your state’s ID is the next one added to Google Wallet. And if you’re having trouble getting Google Wallet to work for you,check out our guide on how to fix it!
