Apple Joins California’s Mobile Driver’s License Pilot Program

Some California residents can now add their driver’s licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet.

This capability will be rolled out as part of the California DMV’s mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot program, which launched in 2023 and is limited to 1.5 million participants, Apple said in a Thursday (Sept. 19) press release.

“Enabling California residents to seamlessly add and present their IDs with their iPhone or Apple Watch represents a significant step in replacing the physical wallet with a more secure and private digital wallet,” Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet at Apple, said in the release.

Apple offers this “IDs in Wallet” capability in six other states: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland and Ohio, according to the release.

In addition, Montana, New Mexico and West Virginia have signed on to adopt IDs in Wallet, and Japan has signed on to bring My Number Card to Wallet, which would make it the first jurisdiction outside the United States to adopt IDs in Wallet, the release said.

Users can also present their ID in Apple Wallet at select TSA checkpoints, businesses and venues; at Apple Store locations across the U.S.; and at businesses that use certain apps for in-person age verification, per the release.

“When presenting an ID in Apple Wallet, only the information needed for the transaction is presented, and the user has the opportunity to review and authorize the information being requested with Face ID or Touch ID before it is shared,” the press release said. “Users do not need to unlock, show or hand over their device to present their ID.”

Apple said in August that it was working with California to bring IDs to Apple Wallet.

Mobile driver’s license proposals have been gaining traction across the U.S., PYMNTS reported in April. States, and the federal government, view mDLs as a promising solution to combat fraud and bolster digital ID verification.

Google has been rolling out the ability to save driver’s licenses and state IDs in the Google Wallet app, and Samsung has been working with IDEMIA to bring a similar capability to Samsung Wallet.

Google Wallet is live with digital IDs in five states, including California, Alan Stapelberg, group product manager at Google Wallet, told PYMNTS in an interview posted Sept. 12.