Google announced new features for Google Wallet aimed at providing users with secure and convenient ways to prove their age and identity directly from their phones.
Residents in the United Kingdom will soon be able to create digital ID passes using their U.K. passports and store them in Google Wallet. At launch, Google is partnering with the Rail Delivery Group to allow travellers to use these digital IDs to verify eligibility for select Railcards on its retail platform, railcard.co.uk.
Google is also in discussions with the U.K. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to certify its digital IDs under the country’s digital identity trust framework. If successful, this could pave the way for digital ID use in purchasing alcohol and other regulated services.
In the United States, digital ID support is expanding to Arkansas, Montana, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia. Additionally, residents in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, and New Mexico will be able to use their mobile IDs for more streamlined experiences at Department of Motor Vehicle offices.
With the federal REAL ID deadline approaching on May 7, 2025, users can now use a digital ID created from a U.S. passport at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel at supported airports—although digital IDs based on U.K. passports are not yet accepted by TSA. Google emphasizes that digital ID passes do not replace physical IDs, which should still be carried when needed.
New partnerships are set to broaden the utility of digital IDs. Users will soon be able to recover Amazon accounts, access online health services through CVS and MyChart by Epic, and verify profiles on platforms like Uber using Google Wallet.
To address privacy concerns around age verification, Google is integrating Zero Knowledge Proof technology into Google Wallet. This cryptographic method verifies age without revealing personal identity details, enabling fast and private age checks across devices, apps, and websites. Bumble will be among the first partners to adopt ZKP-based age verification. Google plans to open source its ZKP implementation for broader industry use.
Google Wallet is expanding its global reach, rolling out to 50 more countries. This update will allow users in more regions to view and manage digital passes, even in areas where tap-to-pay services are not yet supported.
These developments reflect Google’s ongoing commitment to building secure, privacy-forward digital identity tools for a rapidly digitizing world.
