California unveiled its new mobile driver’s license pilot in August 2023, making the phone-based ID available to just 15% of drivers license holders. Nearly three years later in July 2026, Governor Newsom signed SB 169, a DMV modernization measure that raises mobile driver’s license availability to 60% of CA drivers.
According to the DMV, over 130,000 San Franciscans have already signed up for the pilot, more than any other city in California.
The mobile driver’s license, or mDL, is a secure digital version of your California driver’s license or ID. It’s stored in the California DMV Wallet app, and is voluntary and free to use.
The mDL is designed to let users present only the information needed for a transaction instead of handing over a physical card; for example, verifying that you are over 21 without sharing your home address.
Californians can use the mDL at select TSA checkpoints and participating retailers, but should still keep their physical driver’s license or ID on them, as acceptance is not universal.
Eligible Californians can enroll for the mDL program by downloading the California DMV Wallet app, or following the steps within Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, or Samsung Wallet. The verification process includes scanning the physical card and completing a facial-verification step.
The program has already drawn more than 3.5 million applications statewide. You can visit the DMV’s California mDL page to learn more.
What else is changing at the DMV
SB 169 is also part of California’s broader push to make DMV tasks faster, cheaper, and less paper-heavy.
The law allows DMV to eliminate certain paper mailings and modernize renewal communications, makes more than 90% of DMV transactions available online, and implements Generative AI technologies into operations, among other changes.