iPhone Driver's License Support Rolling Out Soon in California

by

California will soon start rolling out support for digital driver's licenses and IDs in the Apple Wallet app on iPhone and Apple Watch, becoming the sixth state to implement the feature.

apple california drivers license
Wallet app integration is part of California's mobile driver's license effort, which kicked off a year ago. More than 500,000 people have already added a driver's license or ID to the California DMV Wallet app, where California tested the option before rolling it out to the Wallet app.

"We're excited to be working with the state of California to bring IDs in Apple Wallet to Apple's home state soon, and provide residents with an easy, secure, and private way to present their California driver's license and state ID in person and in app using Apple Wallet," said Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. "Whether using IDs in Apple Wallet to breeze through travel, or to securely verify age or identity at businesses, California driver's licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet make ID presentment seamless -- all with the security built into iPhone and Apple Watch."

IDs and licenses stored in the Wallet app on ‌iPhone‌ or iPad can be used for TSA screenings at select airports and for age verification at select stores. Right now, California's mobile wallet support is still in a pilot stage, and only 1.5 million participants are able to sign up.

California requires people to continue to carry a physical license or ID card because the digital license is not accepted by law enforcement, state government agencies, and most businesses.

Evidence that Apple Wallet integration was coming to California first surfaced earlier in August when a hidden landing page on the DMV website was discovered, but California and Apple are officially announcing the feature today.

Apple announced a new Wallet app that supported digital IDs back in 2022, but states have been slow to adopt the feature. So far, only Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, and Ohio have implemented support. Apple said in 2022 that Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Utah are also working on support.

Tags: Apple Wallet, California

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
Read Full Article • 117 comments
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Read Full Article • 95 comments
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Read Full Article • 327 comments
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
Read Full Article • 28 comments
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
Read Full Article • 89 comments
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
Read Full Article • 155 comments
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...
Read Full Article • 69 comments

Top Rated Comments

Martin Bland Avatar
Martin Bland
14 weeks ago
Being able to leave the house with nothing but an Apple Watch and a car fob is a dream come true.

Next allow starting a car with a watch instead of a fob or phone…
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Supercyborgninja Avatar
Supercyborgninja
14 weeks ago
if it were tap to phone where the police get the wallet on their device and you don’t have to give your device to them..that’d be cool.

Giving your entire phone to a cop seems like moving backwards not forwards.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nekronos Avatar
Nekronos
14 weeks ago
Neat concept, unfortunately even in the few states this exists, it's not widely accepted.

Being able to leave the house with nothing but an Apple Watch and a car fob is a dream come true.

Next allow starting a car with a watch instead of a fob or phone…
Only TSA is going to take it so you still need the physical license for everything else (i.e. driving, going to a bar or buying liquor, and basically any govt agency aside from TSA)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rymc02 Avatar
rymc02
14 weeks ago

Neat concept, unfortunately even in the few states this exists, it's not widely accepted.

Only TSA is going to take it so you still need the physical license for everything else (i.e. driving, going to a bar or buying liquor, and basically any govt agency aside from TSA)
By the time this becomes widely accepted, TSA probably wont even need any ID. I just came back to the states using Global Entry. That was crazy. I didn't have to get any ID out at all. I walked up to a kiosk that captured my face on a video screen as I walked up. Processed for a like a second and then told me to proceed. I walked over to an agent and he already knew my name, asked me if I had anything to declare, then told me to have a nice day. Wild. Not even 20 seconds for the whole process and never had to take my bag off my shoulder.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GrayFlannel Avatar
GrayFlannel
14 weeks ago
Continue to carry your physical driver’s license or state-issued ID card. Law enforcement, state government agencies, and businesses aren’t yet accepting the mDL.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Makosuke Avatar
Makosuke
14 weeks ago
Finally. How was California of all states not first on the list for this?

Even if we’re a long way from being able to just carry your phone and leave the plastic card at home, that day isn’t ever getting here without states supporting the base technology.

Apple Pay only worked in a handful of stores when it first launched, now I’m so used to paying with my watch that it’s surprising when I need to dig out a physical card.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments