Many Android 13 users could miss out on mobile driver's license support
You may be waiting a little longer than you'd hoped to leave that wallet behind.
16 Feb 2022, Source: Alex Dobie / Android Central
What you need to know
- New evidence shows that devices launching with Android 13 will require special hardware to support mobile driver's licenses (mDLs) and digital IDs.
- That hardware must be able to support Identity Credential Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) at feature version 202201 or later.
- Google cannot mandate this change for older devices supporting Android 13, but it will require it for new devices launching with the latest OS.
Ever since Android 11, Google has been building in the functionality to support digital IDs such as mobile driver's licenses (mDLs) on all of the devices running its latest mobile operating system, from budget handsets up to the best Android phones. However, now that more and more federal, state, and local governments are warming up to the idea of digital IDs — at least 30 states so far — and now that Apple has vowed to support this feature from iOS 15 onwards as well, Google is hoping to finally bring the functionality to fruition in Android 13.
Unfortunately, it appears that not every phone capable of running Android 13 will be able to hold digital I.D.s like mobile driver's licenses (mDLs) according to this blog post by Mishal Rahman, senior technical editor at Esper and former editor-in-chief at XDA Developers.