The DVLA has just surprised us all by previewing a new kind of driving licence – one that is resides on your smartphone and not in your wallet.
Via his Twitter account, DVLA boss Oliver Morley revealed a prototype licence that is stored in the Apple Wallet of an iPhone. According to Morley, the digital driving licence has no official release date yet and is not intended to replace your plastic card; instead, it would be treated as an ‘add-on’ and is only possible thanks to the scrapping of the paper counterpart last year.
Morley was quick to point out that security remains a top priority for the agency when considering any new technology but the idea of driving licences being stored on smartphones is not new. In the US, several states are already considering introducing digital licences this year while New South Wales in Australia has a strategy in place to digitise its licences in 2018.
While Morley’s tweet featured an iPhone showcasing the digital licence, we would expect the option to be made available on other smartphones as well – or else the DVLA can expect to hear from thousands of disgruntled Android owners.
