The new capabilities will provide multiple ways to store and present California driver’s licenses and ID cards using iPhones, Apple Watches and Android devices. The initiative is part of the DMV’s broader mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot, which began last year.
Driver’s licenses or ID cards contained in Google Wallet or Apple Wallet may be used at select businesses and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport security checkpoints and in select apps.
“It is a convenient option for identity verification that offers Californians more control over how they share their information,” the governor’s office said in a news release.
“We’re partnering with two iconic California companies — Apple and Google — to provide convenient, private and secure driver’s licenses and ID cards directly on people’s phones,” Newsom said in the release. “This is a big step in our efforts to better serve all Californians, meeting people where they’re at and with technology people use every day.”
More than 500,000 state residents so far have added a mobile driver’s license to their phones through the California DMV Wallet app. The mDL pilot program is limited to 1.5 million participants.
“We continue to expand the availability and acceptance of digital licenses and identification cards, while ensuring the highest level of privacy and security,” DMV Director Steve Gordon said in the news release.
Storing a license or state ID in one of the wallet apps doesn’t mean individuals don’t need to carry their physical documents. It is intended at this point to make it easier to validate one’s age or identity at participating businesses and airports where identification is required.
“The DMV continues to work with interested groups to encourage broad acceptance of the mDL, including financial institutions, retail establishments, law enforcement, and government agencies,” the governor’s news release said.
On its mDL webpage, the DMV says there are benefits to using the app: “Usage is not tracked, and no data leaves your device without your consent. The mDL provides accurate, secure proof of identity to the businesses you interact with and lowers the potential for fraud and identity theft.”
Other capabilities of the mDL include:
- Using your mDL to log in to the DMV website. With the app, no password is needed.
- Using it to apply for a disabled-person vehicle placard
- Allowing developers to use OpenCred GitHub Source Code Repository to enable apps to verify identity and age via CA DMV Wallet online
The department is also planning two hackathons within the next couple of months for vendors and innovators who are interested in adding the digital identity tool into their customer experience.
More information about California IDs in Google Wallet and Apple Wallet, as well as other California-issued mDLs, will be available at dmv.ca.gov/mdl. The Android app is available here, and the Apple app is here.
