Google appears to be working on support for digital ID cards including digital driver's licenses in a future version of Android. The new IdentityCredential API, spotted by the folks at XDA, may allow for a future Android-powered phone to store credentials, and even offer up those credentials when the device doesn't have enough power to boot.

The new API can be used for things other than digital driver's licenses too, that's just one example Google provided. In more pedestrian security concerns, it also includes expected precautions like certification levels based on whether ID storage is software or hardware based, etc., which can tell developers just how secure a given device is.

For more developer-specific deets, click through to XDA's coverage, or feel free to peruse the associated commit for the IdentityCredential API yourself.

Source: XDA Developers, Android Gerrit