The digital driver’s license has been a slow moving roll out release over the course of the past year. Last September, the digital license began to be available and has been downloaded by around a half a million users across the state. This may sound like a lot and is the highest amount of users in one state in the country; however, in the grand scheme of things in terms of California’s population, it’s only about 2% of licensed Californians. The biggest reason so many Californians have ultimately been hesitant to get the digital driver’s license has been its lack of accessibility. Thus far, drivers have been required to get and utilize the license only from the DMV’s website. However, the license is soon to be available in your phone’s digital wallet.

Apple and Android wallets are getting ready to update to allow the digital license.

The fact that you were required to have a separate, single use app before in order to have access to the digital license stood as a strong deterrent for many. People often already complain about single-use applications clogging up their phone and expressed a disinterest in adding another just to have a digital driver’s license with limited uses available. Because of the lack of use, the DMV began talks with the leading smartphone manufacturers to create an update that works in favor of the digital license. Now, the two major companies, Apple and Google, are finalizing the construction of the software update that will make the digital license available. There has been no final date announced for the update thus far, but it is expected to hit some time this fall.

There is still one issue with the digital license, it is not fully accepted in places like the physical license.

For example, at this time, the Transportation Security Administration, also known as TSA, will accept the digital license only at select major airports in the state. Furthermore, only a handful of stores around Los Angeles and Sacramento accept the digital driver’s license as well. The DMV website updates as more places begin to accept this form of identification, but for now the number stays low as businesses await regulations regarding how to verify identification. Once the digital card is more prominently used, the state will turn its focus to determining ways to get more places to accept the card.