Apple and Google's slow expansion of the ability to put digital IDs like driver's licenses has added another state in California.
Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom's office announced that both Apple and Google will be bringing support for California driver's licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.
“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. 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," Newsom said in a press release.
The ability to add IDs to your phone is a part of a mobile Driver's License (mDL) pilot that California launched last year.
The California release made sure to note that you will need to carry a physical card, most likely for traffic stops. However, they say that it is meant to speed up age verification and getting through checkpoints like those at airports or for various participating businesses.
California's mDL pilot introduced an app built by the California government which allowed Californian residents the ability to upload their IDs to their phones.
Across the country, there have been different approaches to digital IDs. Arizona was the first to allow driver's license in Apple Wallet in 2022. Currently, you can put your IDs in the Apple Wallet in Arizona, Maryland, Colorado, Georgia, and Ohio.
Both Google and Apple started working on the ability to hold IDs in their Wallet apps in 2022. Apple's version launched with iOS 15, while the Google Wallet launched in beta in December of that year.
“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 said in a statement.
Other states have tried the state-owned app like Florida which recently shuttered their app due to an unexplained issue.
As of this writing, California's press release says that Google Wallet is getting the ability to California IDs. A Google spokesperson tells Tom's Guide that the feature is coming to Google Wallet and the company will announce more in the future.
