Future versions of the Android mobile operating system will support Electronic IDs, Google teased today at the Google I/O 2019 developer conference.
"Beyond Android Q, we are looking to add Electronic ID support for mobile apps, so that your phone can be used as an ID, such as a driver's license," said Rene Mayrhofer and Xiaowen Xin from Android Security & Privacy Team.
Not shipping in Android Q
The company has not provided any hard details about its plans going forward, but merely set a focus of future efforts. But what it is known is that Electronic IDs is not expected to land in Android Q.
Putting a timeline on this feature would be hard, as electronic IDs require top-notch cryptography, which, in turn, requires top-notch secure hardware.
"Apps such as these have a lot of security requirements and involves integration between the client application on the holder's mobile phone, a reader/verifier device, and issuing authority backend systems used for license issuance, updates, and revocation," Mayrhofer and Xin said[1].
"We will be providing APIs and a reference implementation of HALs[2] for Android devices in order to ensure the platform provides the building blocks for similar security and privacy sensitive applications."
Google said it's still waiting on official "standardization from the ISO[3]" before going forward.
Apple's iOS does not currently support an electronic ID system either.
China's already in front
China is leading the effort[4] on this front. The Beijing government has been working with Alibaba and Tencent to test two different digital ID systems in various cities across the country --via the AliPay and WeChat apps.
The two apps allow users to tie real-life identities to their apps/smartphones