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Google Wallet is getting closer to replacing your physical wallet. After adding support for driver’s licenses in the state of Maryland last year, Google added transit passes, company IDs and health insurance cards earlier this year. And now three more states are joining in.
Starting today, users in Arizona, Colorado, and Georgia can also add their official state identification to Google Wallet. The same four states are also available in Apple Wallet.
Also: Here’s how to add your driver’s license to the iPhone’s Wallet app
To get started, open Google Wallet and tap “Add to Wallet” in the bottom-right corner. Once it opens, you’ll see a list of things you can add like payment cards, transit passes, loyalty cards, and gift cards. Select ID card. After a brief notice telling you where you can use the virtual version of your license, you will have four states to choose from.
Select your state and you will be asked to scan the front and back of your card. You will also be asked to take a short video that will be sent to the state issuing body to verify that you are a real person and that you are the owner of that ID.
Where can you use your Google Wallet identity? Google notes that your digital ID is “a valid document just like your physical identification card.” But right now, the usage is a bit limited. You can use it to go through some TSA checkpoints (since this program is still very early in its rollout, it’s still strongly recommended to carry your physical ID with you), but that’s it. . Google says other uses are coming soon, like the ability to rent a car with your digital ID.
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Of course, this raises some security concerns. But Google addresses them as soon as you add your ID to your Wallet. A notice reads, “Once approved, your encrypted digital ID will be saved on this device. You can view and manage it on this device, and you control when your ID is shared. ” So unlike many things we have on our phones these days, there’s no cloud backup. Your license is stored locally on your device and that’s it.
While only four states currently have digital identity cards, about 30 others are in the process of creating them. California has a digital ID card, but it’s through a standalone app rather than Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
