The old days of reaching into a wallet to pull out an ID may soon be over in Delaware as the state DMV greenlights an app allowing people to use their smartphones as their ID instead.
The Delaware Mobile ID app provides added security by making sure people can only open it using their face or fingerprint, and it includes customizable privacy features, the state DMV said in a press release.
“Mobile ID has additional benefits that a physical identification card simply does not have, and Delaware is proud to be one of the first states to pilot this technology,” Jana Simpler, Director of the Delaware DMV, said in a statement.
To use the app, people must first upload a photo of their physical license or other identification card, as well as a “live selfie.” Once approved, users will only be able to open the app using their phone’s face or fingerprint censor.
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An added benefit is the customizable privacy features which, for example, allow people to display their age but hide “unnecessary information” like their address.
While some people may be wary about using a new app, the DMV said it performed “several years of extensive pilot testing” before bringing it to the general public.
There is one caveat, however: even after people download the mobile ID, they will be required to continue carrying the physical, since some businesses or entities may still request them instead of the app.
