Apple to Participate in California Mobile Driver’s License Pilot Program

Californians will soon be able to present their driver’s licenses or state IDs by using an iPhone or Apple Watch.

Apple is working with the state of California to bring IDs to Apple Wallet “soon,” the company said in a Thursday (Aug. 15) press release.

This ID in Wallet capability is available in five states: Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, Georgia and Ohio, according to the release.

“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,” Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet at Apple, said in the release.

Using IDs in Apple Wallet provides an “easy, secure and private way” to present a driver’s license and state ID in person and in app, Bailey said.

When presenting their ID in Apple Wallet, users do not need to unlock, show or hand over their device, according to the release. In addition, users will review and authorize using Face ID or Touch ID before the information is shared, and only the information needed for the transaction will be presented.

The release added that the user’s ID is encrypted and stored only on their device; the information cannot be accessed by Apple or others unless the user chooses to present it; and Apple and the state-issuing authority do not know when, where or with whom the user presents their ID.

The launch of this offering will be part of the California DMV’s mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot program, per the release.

The momentum behind mobile driver’s license proposals is gaining traction across the U.S., PYMNTS reported in April.

States, as well as the federal government, are viewing 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.