That was pretty easy for something California…

The California Mobile Driver’s License is available in my Apple Wallet app.

From what I gather, the availability may be a gradual phased approach. That might make sense, when you consider the population in California. If everyone was suddenly able to request approval from the DMV it could easily overwhelm the system. Remember the Obamacare website???

Yeah, kinda like that..

I noticed a small announcement, nothing like the big splashy announcement about the Android version, and found that indeed California mDL was listed in the Apple Wallet.

I went through the process and it failed the first time. I was asked to try again later. Several hours later, I tried and the system accepted my request. About 2 hours after that, I got a notification that my ID was available. 

The one thing I don’t like is the way my name is presented. My first name and middle name are spelled out and my last name is omitted entirely from the digital representation. I’m not sure how the information can be presented better.

That being said opening the digital representation allows me to see all the same information that is present on my physical driver’s license. That’s what matters because thats the data that will be transmitted upon request.

In short, the onboarding process was pretty easy. The DMV did their part pretty efficiently and I’m impressed. Good Job, California DMV!

Now let’s see where this is useful. Honestly, the only time I’ve been asked for ID in the past few years is when I was getting a loaner car at the car dealership while my vehicle was being repaired.

I’m curious about this though. Since I have my physical DL, and now have laid claim to the Digital version, does that make my ID easier or more difficult to steal?