California expands mobile ID as Samsung Wallet adds digital driver’s license
California Samsung smartphone users can now access their driver’s license or ID through their phone’s wallet app, expanding on the state’s mobile ID program, the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles said.
As of Tuesday, the Samsung Wallet app is the latest application to allow Californians to upload their mobile driver’s license and ID card, according to a news release from Governor Gavin Newsom’s office. Previously, the mobile driver’s license was available through the CA DMV Wallet, Apple Wallet and Google Wallet apps.
“We’re continuing to advance the DMV with secure, digital options that give Californians more choices and flexibility,” California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said in the release.
To add their mobile driver’s license, Samsung Wallet app users should open the “Quick Access” tab and select the “+” button, then “digital IDs” and “driver license/state ID” icon. Then users should scan the front and back of their driver’s license or state ID before following any instructions for face scan verification. The final step is to submit the application by verifying through a fingerprint or PIN.
Approved users can show their mobile driver’s license, or mDL, at participating convenience stores, to enroll in community college and for some online government services, such as passwordless MyDMV login and applications for disabled person parking placards.
Those with a Real ID can show their mobile ID at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. Samsung Wallet users will be restricted to select airport screening locations, but more sites are expected to be added, according to the news release.
Using an mDL also allows residents to share limited information, such as name and age, without disclosing additional personal details like a home address in certain situations.
The mDL pilot program launched in the fall of 2023 with the DMV mobile wallet and, as of Wednesday, more than 1.8 million mobile IDs were active, according to a DMV webpage. The pilot program is capped at 4.2 million participants.
