Android via the Digital Credential API has now natively started supporting OpenID4VP for digital credential presentation. Also to add, for digital credential issuance, it also now supports OpenID4VCI.
Here’s more about the update.
Android Support for Digital Credentials Announced
For those of you who don’t know, digital credentials are nothing but cryptographically verifiable documents, and it is used to identify documents which includes passports, driver’s license, and many more. Its use cases in the future are believed to grow, and Android developers are expected to bring out many new innovative applications of this technology. To add, any installed Android apps can provide digital credentials, and such apps are termed as ‘credential holders’.
Speaking more, users can present digital credentials to any apps or websites on their respective devices, while it can also be securely presented between devices as well. Multiple credentials can also be stored across multiple apps too.
About its working, a credential can be presented when an OpenID4VP request is sent to the Digital Credential API, and users will be able to select the credential from the available ones – that will satisfy the request. After selection, Android will redirect the OpenID4VP request to the app or credential holder itself, and present it back to the verifier. As mentioned, issuance of digital credentials are also now possible with the OpenID4VCI request. With this, users can choose the app/credential holder where the digital credential has to be stored.
Regarding the early adopters, Google Wallet, Samsung Wallet, and 1Password will be the adopting the features initially, letting users recover their accounts, access health services, and verify profiles with digital credentials.
