California digital IDs to expand to Google Wallet and Apple Wallet

These days, digital wallets are widely used for all sorts of transactions – from online shopping and in-store purchases to peer-to-peer payments and public transportation. But they are not just for payments anymore – they can also store IDs, and more states are starting to adopt this feature.

Android's Google Wallet and iOS's Apple Wallet support for digital IDs expanding

While California already has its own app for digital driver's licenses and ID cards, new reports suggest that the state will soon support ID cards in both Google Wallet on Android and Apple Wallet.

California IDs in Google Wallet and Apple Wallet are currently being beta-tested with state DMV employees and aren't available to the public yet. Information about the pilot program has also been taken down. However, as of July, the state has been developing consumer landing pages with visuals, including images like the one below.



Although the images and text aren't finalized, this strongly suggests that the state is gearing up for an official launch soon.

To add a driver's license to your iPhone, you just scan the front and back of the card in the Wallet app setup process and snap a photo of yourself for verification. Once approved, your ID will show up in the Wallet app. Once the license is added to the Wallet app, iPhone and Apple Watch users can just tap their device on an NFC contactless reader to use their digital ID at supported locations.

On Android, you can set up your digital ID entirely within Google Wallet by following these steps:

1. Open the Wallet app and tap the “Add to Wallet” button.
2. Choose “ID Card” from the options.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to add your mDL to Wallet.

While you still can't ditch your physical ID just yet, I think the convenience of having a digital ID on your phone will appeal to many people, even if some are understandably nervous about linking their ID to their device.