Californians will soon be able to add their driver’s licenses in Apple Wallet


Some California residents will be able to add their driver’s licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet soon, Apple announced Thursday.
Apple’s announcement doesn’t say when the mobile driver’s licenses will be rolled out, just that it will happen “this fall” as part of California’s mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot. The pilot, which will be limited to 1.5 million participants, will let users traveling through certain terminals at Los Angeles International and San Francisco International airports go through TSA screening without handing over their driver’s licenses — or their phones.
To enroll, users must scan their driver’s license or ID, then scan a photo of their face. People who participate in the pilot program will be able to use mobile IDs to buy certain age-restricted products at specific retail locations in Sacramento and to pass through some airport security checkpoints.
Apple Wallet IDs are also available in Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, Georgia, and Ohio. New York launched its own Mobile ID app in June, which can similarly be used for identity verification at airports. Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri have their own mobile ID programs as well.
State-run mobile ID apps have sparked security concerns. This January, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Surveillance Resistance Lab asked New York’s DMV to pause its forthcoming mobile ID pilot program. In a letter to DMV Commissioner Mark Schroeder, the organizations said mobile driver’s licenses could be used as pretext for police to seize phones during routine stops, or to stop people from filming police interactions. The letter also mentioned the possibility that users’ information could be recorded and tracked by third parties.
Apple claims IDs stored in Apple Wallet aren’t accessible by third parties — including Apple. According to Apple’s press release, driver’s license information added to Apple Wallet is only stored on a user’s device and cannot be accessed “unless a user chooses to present it.” Apple and the state-issuing authority — e.g., the department of motor vehicles — don’t know “when or where or with whom a user presents their driver’s license or state ID,” the announcement says.
Some California residents will be able to add their driver’s licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet soon, Apple announced Thursday. Apple’s announcement doesn’t say when the mobile driver’s licenses will be rolled out, just that it will happen “this fall” as part of California’s mobile driver’s license (mDL) pilot.…
Recent Posts
- One of the best AI video generators is now on the iPhone – here’s what you need to know about Pika’s new app
- Apple’s C1 chip could be a big deal for iPhones – here’s why
- Rabbit shows off the AI agent it should have launched with
- Instagram wants you to do more with DMs than just slide into someone else’s
- Nvidia is launching ‘priority access’ to help fans buy RTX 5080 and 5090 FE GPUs
Archives
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2018
- October 2017
- December 2011
- August 2010