iPhone Driver's License Support Expands to More Californians

iPhone users in California can now add their digital driver's licenses and IDs in the Apple Wallet app on ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch, with California expanding an ongoing test of the digital license feature.

apple california drivers license
Several MacRumors readers have reported seeing the California license as an option in the Wallet app, under the label "California mDL Pilot." Prior to now, only a limited number of people were seeing the option.

Wallet app integration is part of California's mobile driver's license effort, which kicked off a year ago. More than 500,000 people have already added a driver's license or ID to the California DMV Wallet app, where California tested the option before starting to roll it out to the Wallet app.

Apple announced California's Wallet license plans back in August, and said that it was working with California to bring IDs to Apple Wallet.

"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. "Whether using IDs in Apple Wallet to breeze through travel, or to securely verify age or identity at businesses, California driver's licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet make ID presentment seamless - all with the security built into iPhone and Apple Watch."

IDs and licenses stored in the Wallet app on ‌iPhone‌ or iPad can be used for TSA screenings at select airports (including SFO, LAX, and SJC) and for age verification at select stores. Right now, California's mobile wallet support is still in an early stage, and only 1.5 million participants are able to sign up.


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.

Apple announced a new Wallet app that supported digital IDs back in 2022, but states have been slow to adopt the feature. So far, only Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Hawaii, and Ohio have implemented support. Apple said in 2022 that Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Utah are working on support, and today added that Montana, New Mexico, and West Virginia also plan to adopt the functionality.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...

Top Rated Comments

gtmead09 Avatar
22 weeks ago
My state will be 51st out of 50 states........
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Amazing Iceman Avatar
22 weeks ago
Good for you guys in California. In the meantime, Florida is playing with some dumb alternative because Tallahassee wants to be different and decided not to adopt it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JohnC1959 Avatar
22 weeks ago
I have the AZ digital license, but I still need to carry the physical one so no real advantage. But maybe some day....
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kinless Avatar
22 weeks ago
Cool, thanks for letting me know! Just went through the process to get mine uploaded.

EDIT: Aaaand... it just came back rejected lol. Guess their system isn't quite ready yet?

EDIT #2: Second attempt seemed to work, but then got an email saying they needed more verification to scan on DMV's website like Passport ID, etc. which I don't have with me right now so will have to wait. What a pain in the @$$.

EDIT #3 the next day: Had to request a new link but uploaded my passport ID photo / info and was almost immediately accepted. CA ID is now in Wallet. Thought the image would be a little more exciting but it's just full name with a boring beige/blue gradient. Maybe they'll update that later.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ethanwa79 Avatar
22 weeks ago
This is great news because the population of the state is so large, so hopefully this will be the push digital ID’s need to start getting more mass adoption. Hoping more states follow suit soon.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
california_kid Avatar
22 weeks ago
Tried to add, when thru scan and a strange sequence of taking photos of my face, eyes closed, turning my head, opening my mouth (yes WTF is that for?) then said processing. Then told can't do it right now.

All this to try to add to my Apple Wallet instead of using mDL app which already has my digital drivers license.

On the later, I tried using it at a local restaurant that gives 10% discount if you show a local driver's license. They wouldn't accept mDL stating "I have no idea what that is".

Update - Got an email from the DMV saying verification failed try again. What, didn't open my mouth wide enough?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)