In the U.S., it’s possible to store a digital version of your driving licence in Apple Wallet on your iPhone. (Provided your state permits this: currently just 10 do, while a further nine have promised to do so in the future.) But there are few signs of this becoming an option for iPhone owners in the rest of the world.
There is some good news on that front for U.K. readers, however, because the British government has announced that it will launch a digital wallet of its own and that it will be possible to use this to store a digital driving licence and other important documents. Granted, this doesn’t have quite the same appeal as a single storage point for all your bank cards, IDs, and tickets. But it’s something—and remember that, in the absence of a national ID card, your driving licence can be used to prove your age when buying age-restricted items both online and in person.
Science Secretary Peter Kyle made the announcement on January 21. The wallet app, which will be available for Android as well as iOS, will launch later this year, and the digital driving licence will also be piloted in 2025. Other elements of the scheme may take longer to fall into place, but all government services, ministers insist, will be required to offer “a digital alternative alongside paper or card credentials” by the end of 2027.
“Along with CDs, the Walkman and flip phones, the overflowing drawer rammed with letters from the government and hours spent on hold to get a basic appointment will soon be consigned to history,” Kyle said. “GOV.UK Wallet will mean that every letter or identity document you receive from the government could be issued to you virtually.”
The government also announced a new GOV.UK app designed to make it easier (and more “in tune with modern life”) to use public services such as reporting lost passports, and plans to use tech in the public sector.
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