If California’s experience with Apple and Google Wallet is any indication, the future is here.

Against a backdrop of our increasingly ‘augmented’ reality, California embraces the digital life by adding state IDs and driver’s licences to digital wallets. California residents can now add their California ID to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, according to a 7 February news release from the office of Governor Gavin Newsom. In another first, the Golden State is using technology to advance the goals of ease of use, security and privacy.

Digital IDs at Your Fingertips: Understanding the New Convenience

Convenience! No more leaving your physical ID at home and messing up your plans – this connects your California state ID to Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. Have a great time at your local winery, Californians – just don’t forget to carry your ID, because you really need it to be with you now, physically. Oh, and you should bring a paper copy, too – at least for now.

A Partnership with Iconic California Companies: APPLE and GOOGLE

Newsom called out the importance of partnering with Apple and Google in particular, describing it as taking an important step toward ‘meeting people where they’re at’ using technologies that are ‘already embedded in their daily life’. Apple Wallet and Google Wallet users can now start using the technology. It sends a message that California will harness modern technology in order to better serve its citizens.

The mDL Program: California's Ongoing Digital Journey

This programme is not the Golden State’s first experiment with digital identity. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) launched the mobile Drivers License (mDL) pilot, a stand-alone app that let Californians upload their licences to their mobile phones. So far, more than half a million residents have used the app; Apple and Google Wallets have also ingested the state’s drivers licences.

APPLE Leading the Digital ID Charge

While this announcement signals a step forward for California, the reality is that Apple helped spark this technological progress. Arizona was the first state to put its driver’s licence into Apple Wallet in 2022, followed by Maryland, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Ohio.

The Importance of Real ID Compliance

The impending deadline of 2025, when the Real ID laws will demand further authentication for air travel or entrance into federal facilities, makes the digital shift timely as well. Storing and presenting digital identification on your Apple Wallet and Google Wallet would help with compliance, making it easier for residents to fulfil the looming federal obligations.

Looking Towards a Digital Future

Meanwhile, the use of state IDs embedded in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet demonstrates how modern technology and modern governance approach problem-solving in the Golden State. As other states witness the functionality and usability created by digital IDs, we can likely expect more and more to follow suit. It’s not hard to imagine a day in the not-so-distant future when physical IDs become a thing of the past.

About APPLE and Its Role in Digital Identification

Apple Inc, the world’s largest company by market capitalisation, has played a major role in pioneering state ID integration, proving to be an ideal technology partner for pushing the envelope with digital identification. This approach not only adds convenience to the customer journey, but further enhances Apple’s long-standing commitment to privacy and security. Information stored within Apple Wallet is protected by on-device encryption, which not only meets but exceeds the standards of existing digital IDs.

In other words, this California-Apple/Google partnership is about more than technological innovation. It is a harbinger of an emerging future – a system of interaction based on efficiency, security and convenience that awaits us in the forms of digital IDs. Apple and Google are poised to play central roles.