Allegedly “in the coming weeks,” you’ll be able to upload your California driver’s license and present it digitally in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, that is, if you consider getting your ID out of your wallet to be some terribly time-consuming task.

I’ll never quite understand this notion, pushed by so many in tech, that getting your phone out of your pocket is supposedly so much easier than getting your wallet out of your pocket. That sentiment may be fueled by the fact that the smartphone industry has a vastly larger marketing and lobbying presence than does the wallet industry. And my wallet never asks me for a passcode, never tries to push Face ID on me, and notably, the battery never goes dead on my wallet.

But it’s inevitable that more activities are being pushed to digital, smartphone capabilities with each passing day. And as such, the Chronicle reports the California DMV will launch digital driver’s licenses and state ID cards in Apple Wallet and Google Wallet. According to a press release from Governor Newsom’s office, the program will launch “In the coming weeks.”

“We’re partnering with two iconic California companies – Apple and Google – to provide convenient, private and secure driver’s licenses and ID cards directly on people’s phones,” Newsom said in the release. “This is a big step in our efforts to better serve all Californians, meeting people where they’re at and with technology people use every day.”

The video above shows how this will supposedly work. (Does the phrase “CA DMV would like to access the camera" instill confidence?) After going through the often-fussy face-scanning process, you’ll apparently be able to use the QR codes this thing generates to go through airport TSA, or to verify that you’re 21 to buy alcohol and such.

But the use cases will be incredibly limited, at first, at least. As the Chronicle explains, the only places the digital ID will work is to get through TSA at SFO, LAX, and San Jose’s Mineta International Airport, “plus a handful of convenience stores in Sacramento and Los Angeles.”

And we should note the digital ID won’t work at the out-of-state destination airport for your return flight. There is also no mention of whether this is compatible with the RealID program that will be mandatory to get through TSA starting in May 2025.

Oh, and you’re still legally required to carry your physical ID card on you, even if you have these digital capabilities.  

In an attempt to grow these very limited uses, Newsom’s press release says that “The DMV will be hosting two ‘hackathons’ in the fall for innovators interested in adding this secure digital identity into their customer experience.”

Apple seems eager to adopt this, as they’ve put out their own press release, touting the new service as “seamless and secure.” But both Apple and Android require you to generate a single-use QR code every time you need to produce the digital ID, so it remains to be seen whether that process is maybe glitchier than promised.

And the whole thing might just be a huge data harvesting operation. As the Electronic Freedom Foundation notes, the new system will operate with a “lack of comprehensive consumer data privacy laws that keep businesses from harvesting and selling identifying information and sensitive personal information.”

But if you’re determined to be an early adopter, you can enroll in the mobile driver’s license program online.

Related: California DMV Now Letting You Take Written Renewal Exams Online [SFist]

Image: California DMV via Youtube