What you need to know
- Android now natively supports OpenID standards for digital credential presentation and issuance.
- Users can securely store and send cryptographically verifiable digital documents across different apps.
- This update enables wider use of digital credentials for various purposes, including account recovery and identity verification on different platforms.
In a significant move to enhance digital identity management, Google has broadened access to its Digital ID capabilities via the Wallet app for U.K. residents. This initiative aims to foster interoperability among various applications that manage digital identities, aligning with the company’s commitment to supporting open standards through the Android operating system.
Last week, Google unveiled through its Android Developers blog that the Android platform, utilizing the Credential Manager’s DigitalCredential API, now provides native support for OpenID4VP and OpenID4VCI. These standards facilitate the presentation and issuance of digital credentials, respectively.
As a result, Android apps, with the collaboration of their developers, will soon be able to incorporate and submit a range of digital documents, such as educational certifications, insurance policies, and permits. Notably, while applications like banking and airline services may require verification of these digital documents, they do not necessarily need to be stored within the respective banking app.
Android’s architecture also supports secure sharing between devices through CTAP protocols, allowing users to store multiple credentials across various applications. When a user receives an OpenID4VP request from a website or through the Android Credential Manager API, they can select the appropriate credential without needing to specify a digital wallet app. The system then directs the request to the relevant digital wallet app that holds the credential, enabling the app to conduct any necessary due diligence before releasing the information.
According to the latest announcements from Google Wallet, users will soon be able to leverage digital credentials for a variety of applications, including recovering Amazon accounts, accessing online health services through CVS and MyChart by Epic, and verifying profiles or identities on platforms such as Uber and Bumble.
In addition to Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet and 1Password are also set to support the storage of digital credentials, further enhancing the ecosystem of digital wallets that adhere to OpenID standards via Android’s Credential Manager API.
