The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced last month a pilot program is now open to the public that allows residents to have a mobile driver’s license, accessible through the California DMV Wallet app, with a cap at 1.5 million participants.
The app is available to Apple users with an iPhone 6 and newer with iOS 13 or more recent operating systems and Android users with Android 7.0 or newer.
“Be among the first to carry your driver’s license in your phone by joining this voluntary pilot,” the DMV announced on its website.
Residents are encouraged to continue to carry their physical driver’s license for now, as law enforcement, state government agencies and businesses aren’t yet accepting the mobile version.
Airports including Los Angeles International, San Francisco, and more than 20 others nationwide will accept the new mobile driver’s license as a form of identification.
According to the DMV, some retailers and businesses in Sacramento that accept TruAge identification—a digital age verification tool—will accept the mobile driver’s license for age restricted products.
In Los Angeles, the City National Plaza and Bank of America Plaza, both in downtown Los Angeles, are two such locations.
According to the DMV, the mobile driver’s license doesn’t track usage or take data without consent, and provides accurate and secure proof of identity to businesses while lowering fraud and identity theft for users.
The program is being tested with the hope it can be rolled out at an undetermined date for all California driver’s license holders.
Other states currently offering a digital driver’s license include Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and over a dozen more.
