Samsung Wallet to Allow US Users to Store Driver’s Licenses in Their Phones

Samsung has announced that mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs will be available in Samsung Wallet starting in Arizona and Iowa. It stated that the upgrade will make it easier for citizens of these states to display either ID in a secure manner. Users’ lives will be made easier by the technology, and they will be able to do everything from make age-restricted purchases to get through airport security with these digital IDs. The functionality will be accessible on several Samsung Android phones, including the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5.

This collaboration, according to Samsung, combines its secure digital pass software with IDEMIA’s experience in identity technologies, allowing Samsung to use the ISO/IEC 18013-5 standard to develop secure and private mobile licenses and IDs. Samsung is collaborating with several additional early adopter states on a pilot program to accept mobile driver’s licenses at 25 federally recognized airports where the technology is now accessible. Samsung will offer the SDK for developers of “Know Your Customer” applications requiring real identification in early 2024.

This would allow app developers to quickly include a “verified ID” button within their app to efficiently and securely establish the user’s identity, decreasing the user burden of ID verification and the drop-off rate for companies and services that require this information. Samsung stated that it was collaborating with IDEMIA to integrate the new identification documents into its wallet. It touted the corporation as a global leader in identification technology that issues 55 million identity documents in the United States each year.

To utilize the new functionality when it becomes available, you must be using a Galaxy Z Flip 5, Z Fold 5, or one of the many other smartphones that accept Samsung Wallet. If you want to use this function on your phone but live outside of Arizona or Iowa, Samsung has not yet announced which states will receive it. In early 2024, Samsung will also provide a software development kit (SDK) so that developers may integrate online age and ID information into their applications to help eliminate fraud and friction with the verification process.

Jeanie Han, EVP and Head of the Digital Wallet Team, Mobile Experience Business at Samsung Electronics, commented,Mobile driver’s licenses are the new frontier of digital identity. The addition of mobile driver’s licenses to Samsung Wallet is a perfect example of our commitment to creating technology for our consumers that truly makes life easier. By combining the best of Galaxy continuity and security, we are helping our users simplify their daily routines.”