iPhone Driver's License Support Rolling Out Soon in California

[grantishere]

So excited! People say the issue is the states having control to opt in and that there's no mutual agreement between states.

The truth is it's better to let the states decide. If DOT becomes more federally regulated, democracy could be at risk.

 

[Quotageek]

By the time this becomes widely accepted, TSA probably wont even need any ID. I just came back to the states using Global Entry. That was crazy. I didn't have to get any ID out at all. I walked up to a kiosk that captured my face on a video screen as I walked up. Processed for a like a second and then told me to proceed. I walked over to an agent and he already knew my name, asked me if I had anything to declare, then told me to have a nice day. Wild. Not even 20 seconds for the whole process and never had to take my bag off my shoulder.

Same experience here. Huge line at customs. Like 10 people at Global Entry. Whole thing probably took under 1 minute. The longest part was me trying to figure out the kiosk. It's crazy how efficient it was.
Super inconvenient and inefficient to actually get Global Entry the first time and get an appointment, but definitely worth it!

 

[arc of the universe]

if it were tap to phone where the police get the wallet on their device and you don’t have to give your device to them..that’d be cool.

Giving your entire phone to a cop seems like moving backwards not forwards.

So feel free to not participate. No one is FORCING you into an electronic ID. Nor are they forcing you to hand your phone to law enforcement. It's simply another option for people who want it....

@Supercyborgninja has mentioned the next step that would make this more universally acceptable and more practical.
before i read his/her comment i was thinking the same thing.
it would make it so easy to prove identity this way, without handing over a phone or watch physically.

with "tap-to-prove-identity" there would be a way to even hide the actual identity related numbers or even name from people if at a bar or store, with the only detail you allow to be readable on the bar or store's terminal is age, for example.
TSA and police would be able to get all the numbers and name and address. but in other situations you could select what info to be passed. much like in share contact details you limit who gets to see your profile picture.

there is a practical difference between proving your identity (and no copy of the info is retained by the other party; they just look at the id and say, ok thank you, and they dont retain any copy of the info) and proving your identity and they take a copy of your license for their (permanent records).

 

[mcilwraith]

we might get this in the UK in about a million years from now. ffs

 

[HMI]

Well....
California being the State to invent the phone, watch, digital wallet, and digital ID for the digital wallet on the phone and watch, I'm purely amazed that it wasn't the 56th state to adopt and use this technology. Usually, they let all the other states adopt it first, then learn from and create tame laws to protect them from customers using their technology.

As a customer, I'm truly surprised and delighted!

 

[slippery-pete]

Just what we've been asking for: a reason to hand our phone (with all personal information about our lives) over to law enforcement 🤦‍♂️

It's amazing how many people applaud new "features" that enable authoritarian rule.

Really simple, if you don't want to "hand our phone over to law enforcement" don't download or use the app.

It is really amazing that people have their own "concerns" or "theories" and how dare people if they don't feel the same

 

[nippyjun]

I'm confused. Currently you can get a digital version of the CA license in the CA DMV app. when will it be available in the Apple wallet app?

 

[IIGS User]

@Supercyborgninja has mentioned the next step that would make this more universally acceptable and more practical.
before i read his/her comment i was thinking the same thing.
it would make it so easy to prove identity this way, without handing over a phone or watch physically.

with "tap-to-prove-identity" there would be a way to even hide the actual identity related numbers or even name from people if at a bar or store, with the only detail you allow to be readable on the bar or store's terminal is age, for example.
TSA and police would be able to get all the numbers and name and address. but in other situations you could select what info to be passed. much like in share contact details you limit who gets to see your profile picture.

there is a practical difference between proving your identity (and no copy of the info is retained by the other party; they just look at the id and say, ok thank you, and they dont retain any copy of the info) and proving your identity and they take a copy of your license for their (permanent records).

I don't disagree with this. However, the expenditure in equipment and training would be substantial. The readers would need to be wireless (so the officer could bring it to the vehicle) and secure. The officers would have to be trained in how to use it.

You have to start SOMEWHERE. Politicians aren't going to allocate money for the reader technology if their state isn't using electronic driver's licenses. Officers aren't going to want to carry the device to every car they stop not knowing if the person is even going to have an electronic DL.

There are a lot of unresolved issues to rolling it out. One portion of it is actually offering the electronic DL. Then encouraging people to sign up for it. Then getting them to use it. You never really can make the electronic DL mandatory since it's based off technology that not everyone has access to. Lots of people still don't have smart phones.

In reality you're probably 10-15 years away from being in a situation where officers regularly have a way to electronically read your digital DL on the side of the road without handing your phone over. Even then, you're talking about statewide agencies that primarily do traffic enforcement like highway patrol or state troopers. Local townie cops won't see this stuff for a long time. The primary concern being money. It's another expenditure and another piece of equipment that brings with it maintenance and replacement costs. Back of house like data management is another consideration from a fiscal standpoint. Local police budgets can be very very penny conscious in large parts of the country. The money simply isn't there. I think I see money going to universal body camera adoption first.

Again, you have to start someplace. It's a chicken and the egg argument. In the meantime you give people the OPTION to use a digital ID. If they don't want to, that's fine. Keep your phone to yourself. Most cops have no interest in your cell phone on a traffic stop. Your personal dealings aren't as interesting as you probably think they are.

 

[california_kid]

I'm confused. Currently you can get a digital version of the CA license in the CA DMV app. when will it be available in the Apple wallet app?

That's the news, being able to add your CA license to Apple Wallet is coming soon. As of today, you can only use the wallet inside the mDL app.

 

[snashbar]

NYC has Express Transit Card. CA's transit system is a mess. Perhaps LA will get Express Transit Card thanks to Olympics?

The San Francisco area (Bay Area Rapid Transit) has Express Transit Card support. I'm surprised LA isn't on board yet... I agree that they will want that in place before the Olympics...

 

[FoxyKaye]

I'll believe it when I see it, AND it actually circumvents the idiotic "refresh" cycles with the current mDL app.

 

[daverobeson]

To everyone freaking out about "handing your phone to the cops" -- I agree with you, but that's not how it works, any more than you have to hand your phone to a cashier when using Apple Pay. From Apple's release:

When presenting a driver’s license and state ID in Apple Wallet, only the information needed for the transaction is presented, and users will need to review and authorize using Face ID or Touch ID before the information is shared. Users do not need to unlock, show, or hand over their device to present their ID.

My understanding is that if you're buying booze, the cashier only gets the info that you're at least 21, etc.

 

[Böhme417]

Really simple, if you don't want to "hand our phone over to law enforcement" don't download or use the app.

It is really amazing that people have their own "concerns" or "theories" and how dare people if they don't feel the same

if it were tap to phone where the police get the wallet on their device and you don’t have to give your device to them..that’d be cool.

Giving your entire phone to a cop seems like moving backwards not forwards.

It's NFC to be used with a reader. You will hold your phone up to a reader. You are not giving your phone to anyone. Jesus...

 

[Bobbuilds69]

Is there official word from the state yet?

I have not used mine in a year, and multiple people have reported that it’s not really that useful, and not widely accepted even at the advertised airports

ABC7 news just did a story on it.

 

[MNWildFan]

Continue to carry your physical driver’s license or state-issued ID card. Law enforcement, state government agencies, and businesses aren’t yet accepting the mDL.

Yup, sad to say that while it is cool that TSA will take the MDL, it will probably still be a good few years that other agencies will as well

That vision of a completely walletless future still looks to be quite far off

 

[MNWildFan]

To everyone freaking out about "handing your phone to the cops" -- I agree with you, but that's not how it works, any more than you have to hand your phone to a cashier when using Apple Pay. From Apple's release:



My understanding is that if you're buying booze, the cashier only gets the info that you're at least 21, etc.

Exactly

When you double tap the side button to access your wallet from the lock screen, it won't allow you to get to your cards until you authenticate with face ID or passcode

 

[lovehateapple]

Giving your entire phone to a cop seems like moving backwards not forwards.

I agree 100%. I can see the convenience of having my license on my phone, but I would never hand my entire phone over to a cop. This is why I would still want to have a physical license card with me almost all of the time.

 

[jmass777]

I have a New York State "Mobile ID" driver's license. I cannot put it in the Apple Wallet.

My Apple Watch has problems coordinating with my MacBook Pro about 3/4 of the time. It works at cash registers less that percentage.

 

[Unity451]

California requires people to continue to carry a physical license or ID card because the digital license is not accepted by law enforcement, state government agencies, and most businesses.

Ok, so digital ID is basically useless then.

 

[nutmac]

The San Francisco area (Bay Area Rapid Transit) has Express Transit Card support. I'm surprised LA isn't on board yet... I agree that they will want that in place before the Olympics...

I meant the one that does not require using a prepaid card like Clipper (SF Bay Area), SmarTrip (DC), and TAP (Los Angeles). In NYC and London, you can just use Apple Pay without having to purchase or preload a balance.

 

[ifxf]

Will be functionally useless because all bouncers/event security only accept physical ID's

I bet many state laws are written where they must check the actual license.

 

[quietstormSD]

I'm shocked California is getting this and is one of the "earlier" states to implement this. California is always late for everything technology related, even though it has the tech capital of the world inside it.

That being said, it's just a "cool" feature to have. Only time you can really use this is for TSA at certain airports. Depending on how often you travel and your home airport, it's not going to be of much use. Until businesses and law enforcement start accepting it as a legitimate ID, it won't do much. I have mDL on my phone as part of the California pilot program for over a year and I have literally used it for nothing.

 

[frenchcamp49er]

Useless either way if you still have to carry the card. At my local Target they would not except the California DL App as proof of age for over the counter sinus medication yes we get cared for over the counter medication.

 

[frenchcamp49er]

I'm shocked California is getting this and is one of the "earlier" states to implement this. California is always late for everything technology related, even though it has the tech capital of the world inside it.

That being said, it's just a "cool" feature to have. Only time you can really use this is for TSA at certain airports. Depending on how often you travel and your home airport, it's not going to be of much use. Until businesses and law enforcement start accepting it as a legitimate ID, it won't do much. I have mDL on my phone as part of the California pilot program for over a year and I have literally used it for nothing.

Nothing you can actually use it for.

 

[StyxMaker]

Then, the next step, injecting the ID under our skin like we do with our pets.