What you need to know
- Google's Android Identity Credential APIs will enable electronic IDs and mobile driving licenses.
- Qualcomm and Google this week announced their partnership in bringing the tech to the masses.
- The Snapdragon 865 and 765 will be the first SoCs to support the standard.
If you've ever forgotten your driver's license at home, Qualcomm and Google have some good news for you. At the company's Snapdragon Tech Summit in Maui this week, Qualcomm invited Google's Sudhi Herle to talk about the two tech giants' collaboration in making digital IDs a reality. You can see the entire announcement below (via 9to5Google):
The Qualcomm execs proudly announced that the company's latest chips — the Snapdragon 865 and the Snapdragon 765 — will be the first to support Android Identity Credential APIs. To demonstrate the point, the company's reps had a cheeky animation showcasing a cluttered pile of IDs, money, keys, and a wallet all fitting inside your smartphone.
As the company explained at its I/O developer summit (via VentureBeat) earlier in the year, though, we're still a ways away from a digital utopia where your passport, driving license, and club memberships are all stored on your phone. The mobile driving license (mDL) standard is still being worked upon, and it'll likely require quite some time before governments would be willing to accept electronic verification in place of a physical passport. Till then, having a Qualcomm-made chip will, at least, ensure you're on the cutting edge of technology and can avail this convenience whenever it's made available.
