Skift Take

Google is making a big step toward a world where a physical wallet is obsolete. And it beat competitor Apple in announcing plans to enable a digital passport.

Google Wallet will soon enable the ability to store a digital version of a U.S. passport. The company said Thursday that the digital passport will work at select Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints.

The announcement was among several new travel features coming to Google Wallet.

Apple has yet to make a similar announcement for its digital wallet, even though it was first released 10 years before Google's.

Google began rolling out Wallet in July 2022. Similar to the version for Apple devices, Google Wallet allows Android device users to store credit cards and tap for payment in stores, as well as save tickets for trains and more.

The app is available on Android devices, and now also online at wallet.google.com. The company says millions of people have used Google Wallet since it was launched two years ago. 

What’s Taking So Long?

A digital U.S. passport has been a long time coming. 

“This has kind of been in the works for about 10 years,” a TSA spokes