In December, Google Play Services will update driver’s licenses | Tech Reddy

Google and Apple have successfully made contactless card payments an essential part of all our favorite phones, and now companies are looking to add digital IDs and driver’s licenses to their devices. While the feature is already available on iPhones in some US states, Google is now preparing to add digital driver’s licenses to Android. A December Google Play system update added state IDs and driver’s licenses to Google Wallet as a beta version, allowing residents of some US states to present their documents without having to carry physical copies in their wallets. Additionally, the update is preparing support for release on tablets, possibly the Google Pixel Tablet.

Google Play system updates should not be confused with Google’s monthly system updates that contain security patches. Instead, Play System updates arrive on all phones with the latest Android versions, bringing new features and improvements to Google Play Services and the Play Store, key pieces of Google software that take care of everything from notifications and app updates to the relevant API. connections.

With the December 2022 update, Google offers many bug fixes and improvements, not two of which are missing. The first is a new “Beta feature that allows users from select US states to digitize their state ID/driver’s license into Google Wallet for convenient, private and secure display.” This is the first step towards digital IDs and was first announced by Google at the Google I/O developer conference in May 2022. Esper’s Android expert Mishaal Rahmanthe technological foundation for this feature has been laid, but now the company is working with regulators and governments to finally make it happen.

Google hasn’t revealed which states will work with the new digital licenses and IDs. Given that it’s mostly about regulation, it could be states that support Apple’s digital IDs. According to MacRumors, these are currently Arizona, Maryland and Colorado. Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah are also looking to support Apple’s capabilities in the future, which means they may work with Google as well.

The other change is related to casting, and it adds a note that says “Notify user when projecting to an external screen on a Tablet device that requires user interaction.” Although Google hasn’t given us any other details, this could be a preparation for the company’s upcoming Pixel tablet. The tablet should double as a smart display when placed on a stand, and it should be able to host the same streams as any great smart display with Assistant or Android TV.

A caveat that Google wants to implement means you’ll sometimes have to tweak the Pixel tablet and give it instructions on what to do when you want to screen. You may need to dock the tablet, change user, or unlock the screen to enable external display. As mentioned above, the company hasn’t shared any specifications on this yet, so we’ll have to wait and see what this note actually wants from you.

Check out the company’s changelog for the rest of the December Play System Update.

The Play System update will gradually roll out to your devices and install in the background. The new features come as part of Google Play Services v48.22 and Google Play Store v33.2.