Google has given Android an OpenID upgrade to make handling digital credentials like virtual driving licences much easier and more secure. With native support for OpenID standards, Android apps and services can talk the same language when it comes to verifying who you are digitally. This update uses Android’s DigitalCredential API to bring in support for OpenID4VP (for showing your credentials) and OpenID4VCI (for getting new ones issued). It’s all part of Android’s push towards using open standards to ensure you’re not locked into one company’s way of doing things for your digital identity. The most obvious use people are talking about is digital identity documents like driving licences, passports, or national ID cards. But the potential goes way further. Google expects developers to get creative, using this tech for all sorts of things you might need to prove digitally. We’re talking education certificates, insurance details, gym memberships, event tickets, work permits – you name it. And it’s not just about official ‘wallet’ apps like Google Wallet or Samsung Wallet holding these credentials. Any app can potentially become a “credential holder.” Once you’ve picked, say, your digital driving licence, Android securely passes the request over to the wallet app that holds that specific licence. That app finishes the process, showing the credential to the verifier. This method also gives the wallet app a chance to “perform any additional due-diligence steps it needs to perform prior to releasing the credential to the verifier,” adding an extra layer of checks if needed. Receiving and storing new digital credentials is also getting standardised using the OpenID4VCI protocol. When someone needs to issue you a digital credential they can use this standard. To make sure Android knows what’s where when it’s time to show a credential, wallet apps need to tell the Credential Manager a bit about the credentials they hold. This info helps Android quickly find the right options for you when a request comes in.