CA DMV Wallet Negative Reviews

CA DMV Wallet App Complaints & User Negative Comments 2024

CA DMV Wallet app received 37 complaints, negative comments and reviews by users. Have you ever had a bad experience using CA DMV Wallet? Can you share your negative thoughts about ca dmv wallet?

CA DMV Wallet for Negative User Reviews

✓ Good app with a massive limitationOverall the app works as advertised. At least for me, very easy to set up. The only issue is that it’s created stand alone and doesn’t support Apple wallet which makes it semi pointless. It’s one more app to remember and open vs having it in one place with all the bank cards, vaccine cards, insurance cards, etc. Without that capability it’s pointless for iOS..SpidrWebVersion: 0.1.10

✓ UselessAfter several attempts, I was finally able to set up an account and load my license onto the DMV Mobile Wallet. I was initially optimistic about the convenience it promised. However, my enthusiasm was short-lived. Upon migrating to a new iPhone, the app became unusable. It's now trapped in a frustrating loop of "account needs to be created," to "this account is already in use," and then inexplicably, "your password is expired." Moreover, the practicality of the app is debatable, as it's only accepted at a handful of stores in CA. One would hope that for all the effort put into setting it up, it would have broader acceptance and smoother functionality. Sadly, this seems to be another classic case of CA's ambitious tech ventures missing the mark. A wasted opportunity..TheFlyingCoconutVersion: 0.1.10

✓ Horrible and failing scanning processThe app looked easy enough to use at first and I followed all directions to avoid light reflection, have the card on a black background, etc. Card is very clean (brand new RealID). Scanning the front seems to work but scanning the barcode on the back failed dozens of time. It always shows a check mark, as if it succeeded, but immediately followed by an alert saying that scanning failed. Also, there should be a pause between scanning the two sides, maybe a Next button. I give up until you fix your bugs. Also, why no Apple Wallet support yet?.JmdecombeVersion: 0.1.9

✓ This is a challenge. It’s not workingDownloaded the app. Initial set up went well. Never was prompted to link my iPhone camera to the app. It went to a page that prompted me to take a photo of my drivers license. The button was obscured at the bottom of the screen. Tried to press it while lifting it up manually but it never worked. Couldn’t load a photo of my license. Why is this happening to a supposedly updated app that’s supposed to make the process simple? By the way, I have an iPhone 8+ with iOS 16.6..KsonkinVersion: 0.1.9

✓ Beyond HorribleMy husband downloaded it and it works no problem. I’ve been trying for three weeks and nothing! It doesn’t let me scroll to the bottom of the page to push the start bottom. I’ve deleted the app numerous times with the same problem. Someone better figure it out or this app is completely useless. They said they don’t understand why no one has signed up for the program, we’ll fix the app and maybe people will use it. Can’t use what doesn’t work..Amy.brakeVersion: 0.1.9

✓ Political Grift and Unnecessary AppsAdd support for Apple Wallet, like every other state that supports a digital driver’s license. It’s insane we’re squandering money on a proprietary, stand-alone app (and it doesn’t even work with Apple Wallet). The app itself has a pretty poor UX. After several tries I was able to actually get it working (but this app really shouldn’t exist in the first place). I’m unable to start the app on a new iPhone 15 Pro Max on iOS 17. It’s just stuck initializing forever. Also the background image doesn’t scale for the larger sized iPhones (lol). On the bright side, some politician’s friend or family made a lot of money on their bid to create this terrible app..TrapLordFergVersion: 0.1.10

✓ Bad interfaceCan not get to “start” button to take pictures of license. Workaround is to reduce text size to get to the “start” button. I guess no one thought of testing this on iPhones before releasing???? Or have instructions to reduce text size on the license picture taking page……. This happens when software is not tested thoroughly. Been an IS manager for over 15 years, never released a software package before testing over and over. On the good side software, once completed, looks real good. The frustration the user has to go through to get it to work is not acceptable..Mr. Roper2Version: 0.1.9

✓ Have High HopesThis app has lots of potential. Easy to download, a bit difficult to use it’s scan tool. I took 4-5 tries of front and back before I was able to upload my ID. I also had some interface issues, but after resetting by screen display to normal, everything viewed correctly. I hope it will view using bold text and large fonts that I normally use. I was also hoping for some interface with my iPhone digital wallet with the rest of my passes and cards. I would also like to be able to view my ID as the card. Anyway, i hope these will be added in the near future as this is a handy tool..Secure It TeeVersion: 0.1.9

✓ A few notes for setupI’m happy to test this beta app but I came very close to chucking it a few times. First, when you enroll, the login has to match your online DMV account. Next, thanks to another review, I learned that the text size must be set to small to enable the Next button to photograph your license. Then I discovered that the license needs to be copied in portrait mode, not landscape. Otherwise the scan will fail. My facial scan would scare Dracula. Let’s see if DMV accepts it!.MurfecatVersion: 0.1.9

✓ UselessWho would want a drivers license app that you have to refresh every 30 days? What’s the point of that? To add insult to injury, refresh doesn’t even work so when you press refresh you just wait and wait and wait while it said “processing” endlessly. How about an app that just works that you don’t have to do anything with until your drivers license is expiring. What a novel concept. If it has to be refreshed, how about having a refresh process that actually works and takes 10 seconds or less?.CreativeOne1Version: 0.1.9

✓ The ID/DL scanning functionality is awfulI made something like 8 attempts to scan my DL before I got a good scan. It wants to scan both sides of your ID/DL but it just tells you to flip the card over and waits for a very short period of time. Not enough time to get the camera aligned with your id. But - I finally got it scanned. Another annoying thing is that you can not have your ID/DL stored in your phone’s wallet, it can only be the “wallet” that is part of the App. This will make it a bit cumbersome at a TSA checkpoint as you switch from different wallet apps to bring up your documentation. Seem to me to be easier to hand the TSA agent my physical ID as I scan my boarding pass..CamideiVersion: 0.2.0

✓ BAD USER INTERFACEButtons at the bottom of the screen to capture image of driver’s license is barely visible on my iPhone 14 Pro Max. They are cut off. Difficulty taking a photo is the driver’s license - multiple failed attempts even though I followed instructions. Very nice concept if this app works. I understand that the app was just introduced to a limited number of the public and I’m hoping that the app will be updated very soon in order for a successful pilot program. You will need a DMV account to set up this app. Also, I noticed that there were 2 CA DMV mobile apps in the App Store. Be very careful to choose the right one. You will also need to grant the app access to your iPhone’s camera..SethlandVersion: 0.1.8

✓ Ca finally did something digital, but badlyShould every state in the country write their own app, doing things “their way”, causing their highway patrol to potentially see 50 different approaches, then guess if it is real? Of course not, yet CA did exactly that. All US states could have let the Federal government to get Apple and Google to agree on a digital standard for both of their Wallet apps. (The EU will probably do that!) The whole digital wallet concept was to have a single place to hold important credentials like your drivers license or credit cards, plane and train tickets, bus passes… When will that ever be more critical than when a person is at your car door, cars passing at 75 miles per hour, and the person taking to you has their finger on the trigger of a loaded gun?.FlyGuyTy1914Version: 0.1.10

✓ Works so-so; a few issues1) Lack of Apple Wallet support. Please add support for Apple Wallet soon! 2) When accepting mDL into the app’s internal “wallet”, the app allows to do that multiple times - creating multiple identical active mDL credentials in the “wallet”. Is this so by design, or a bug? 3) With no one internet access - e.g., in Airplane Mode - the app would intermittently get stuck on “Loading…” or on “Registering device token…” when trying to open. Close/reopen - same thing. Close/reopen again - now shows Welcome screen and allows to retrieve mDL. Please fix this “intermittent stuck” issue!!!.Dmitri/SLCAVersion: 0.1.9

✓ Start Button Below ScreenI learned about this application through a friend who could not install it on his iPhone. The blue start button was below the bottom of the screen, and if you tried to scroll up with one finger, then touch the start button with another finger nothing would happen. I happen to have a XP pro and when I installed it only the top sliver of the blue start button would show up on the bottom of my screen. After multiple tries, I was able to tap the edge of the blue start button and then the rest of the process went fine. However, I was further surprised to see that this doesn’t allow me to add it to my iPhone wallet. I cannot make it add to my iPhone wallet, rather it seems to only be its own wallet. The iPhone wallet has a listing for other state drivers licenses, but only includes Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, and Maryland..Mr-IdeasVersion: 0.1.9

✓ Misleading – not actually integrated with Apple wallet.The application name makes it sound like you’re going to be able to add your driver’s license to the Apple wallet which is of course the reason you came to get this app in the first place. But it turns out that after you have actually gone through the process, it doesn’t let you do that. The implication is that in the future you’re gonna have to open this app every time you want to share your drivers license with someone. What is the likelihood that that is actually going to even be meaningful to the relying party? or that you are going to remember in the heat of the moment when asked to present your ID, that you have to open a special app to do it? how would this scale if every state created their own app? presumably there is a roadmap to eventually get all 50 states using a common standard so that relying parties such as TSA, law-enforcement etc. in each state would be able to recognize IDs issued by the other states. How in the world is that going to work, if each state created their own special “Wallet app“?.Chris108108Version: 0.2.2

✓ I had none of the setup issues that others seem to have had and it set up no problem .BUT… one day, my ID and all the biometrics and essentially my entire profile information was just gone. Total waste if time because there are no options for me to set it up again. I click on my profile and my “wallet” , and activity log and literally nothing is there . The app is just a complete void with no options to do anything at all except for navigate away from it and be taken to the DMv website. What a waste….AmadariagaVersion: 0.1.10

✓ Not PoliticalPLEASE! Quit making this into a political issue. There have been many technology boondoggles at the state level in many states under both parties. Yes, this product is not very good and been totally useless especially after upgrading to iPhone 15. To the developers: Please address when there will be a fix to the iPhone 15 problem. Also, can you please answer why you just didn’t take advantage of Apple Wallet which already is working with several other cards and IDs. Just let us know something, PLEEZ!.Bronda InputVersion: 0.1.10

✓ Need to turn off larger font size for app to workAfter reading others comments found you have to turn off larger font size for app to work..developers need to put that in the instructions - it’s crazy they haven’t corrected this already! Also you don’t use your camera to take a photo of your license - again, correct the instructions Yi reflect that the app takes the image for you. App doesn’t work! It tells you to take a photo of your license with your phone but when you do the app just freezes - won’t let you upload the photo or move forward. Needs serious work!.JAC’s OKVersion: 0.1.9

✓ The app works, but you still have to have a physical ID!If you follow the instruction on each page of the app you should be able to set up everything in less than 5 minutes and it took a few more second for verification and you get your digital Driver license. It is a clear and stright forward quick process. Problem is on the AppStore it stated you still have to have your physical card on you!!! So what is the point of this app or the digital ID??!! The interface itself is good for something in 1990s it could be a lot better specially for a California it should be very high tech nice easy user interface and result. It should also state if you can use this while driving and if it completely replace the physical ID Because this part is confusing Also, the one time QR is for who to scan? A police officer? Official places? State office? Any one? Wouldn’t be easier to be able to add it to apple wallet same as bank card all in one place?.Ashrof2aVersion: 0.1.10

✓ Bluetooth Connectivity?After installing CA DMV app I don’t know if it works! If I touch the ‘Show my MDL’ button on the Welcome screen I’m taken to a blue screen with a spinning circle that says, among other things, “Connecting to Bluetooth services.” At this point am I suppose to see a QRcode that can be scanned? I don’t. Eventually the spinning circle times out (10 seconds or so) and the app goes back to the Welcome screen. So, is it working? Finally I had to Allow CA DMV to access Bluetooth in SETTINGS>CA DMV. Now the app generates QRcode that can be scanned by whomever, TSA, etc. I’m using an iPhone SE 2nd Gen. All the screens/buttons were formatted fine on the phone’s screen. One other glitch, I couldn’t change my CA DMV account password using the apps instructions. I had to log into my account using a computer..RicckoVersion: 0.1.9

✓ App just hangsInstalled great on my old phone. Got a new phone and the app just hangs when run. The report a problem on the developer website is useless and has you go in circles. Very simple concept, such bad implementation even when it was working on my old phone. As a software developer myself, I’m very disappointed with this implementation. Deleted the app from my phone. Installed it and it wants me to take a photo of my license again, but the start button is off the screen and auto scrolls off the screen if I move it. So, can’t get past this step that worked on my old phone. Tip: don’t have important buttons at the bottom of the screen in iOS apps.Galaga FanVersion: 0.1.10

✓ Come on CA DMV ! EmbarrassingDo not use this app ! Who is the DevOps manager at the CA DMV? The blue start button is not accessible. And the users are reporting this issue yet no corrections are forthcoming!? Why? How does this happen in the first place. This app should be removed, and the dev team fired! This throws everything into question including security and privacy! If you haven’t tested the GUI - we must assume there are ways for bad actors to exploit this app and take our personal data. Please respond and give us assurances that you’re started over and done the development correctly and securely. The CA DMV quality and compliance manager needs to resign or step up and start this over!.BizpoVersion: 0.1.9

✓ Sometimes waiting for Bluetooth?Setup worked well enough, but using the ID is unreliable: Sometimes the app shows the QR-code, sometimes it shows a spinner saying that it waits for Bluetooth services (to which I have given access). Overall it is puzzling why CA needs their own app instead of allowing us to add the ID to Apple Wallet that works reliably. Would be great if app would also educate where digital ID is accepted..Jo18tiVersion: 0.1.9

✓ TSA doesn’t know how to work the machineIdea is great but I tried to use it at SFO (the one place it’s supposed to work) and tsa said they don’t take it. I pointed to the huge sign right next to them that says “try the digital id app” they responded yeah I don’t know how to do that. If you’re going to roll out a product have end to end working at the two places in CA that take it. < updated> on flight back out of LAX I tried to use it, again sign right next to the TSA agent. Agent walks me over to another station tries the machine. A app pop up shows on my phone to “accept” I hit accept and app says “connecting Bluetooth credentials sent” . Agent immediately got annoyed and just said “the machines broke do you have a physical id?” (Personally I don’t think he knew what to do after it said sent but you can’t say anything to tsa beside ok) So the problem is 100% people training. You released an process and didn’t train people how to use it. 2/2 failures. Which means you have to bring ID..AvidRacerXVersion: 0.2.0

✓ Difficult to upload photosI realize that this is a beta version, however the process for uploading your license and biometrics is unclear. You need to take photos of the front and back sides of your drivers license. When the app captures the front image, it tells you to turn the license over to the back side. However, it only allows you 1-2 seconds to do so. I failed to upload my license multiple times because I couldn’t turn the card fast enough, and I had to start over. The app also takes pictures of your face, to match the biometrics the DMV already has on file for you. My phone has front and rear facing cameras, and there were no prompts about which camera to use. The app uses the front facing camera, so be ready..RunegadeVersion: 0.1.9

✓ Exactly what you’d expect from the CA DMVJunk. The app got stuck at the step where it is displaying tips to take a picture of the license. You could not scroll to the bottom of the screen to select “Continue”. And why do I need to take a picture of the front and back of my license? This is ridiculous - the CA DMV has all of my information including my picture so should be able to create a digital copy of my DL to stick in my Apple Wallet. When I buy tickets from Ticketmaster they put a digital ticket in my wallet. I don’t have to take pictures of physical tickets and then upload them to the wallet. Fix this please!.Hamster48702Version: 0.1.9

✓ Solution to Successful Pic TakingIf you are stuck on the screen where you need to have the license picture taken by the app, if you cannot scroll down to tap the start button, simply reduce the magnification of your iPhone screen. Just go into iPhone settings, display and brightness, and slide the button to reduce the magnification of the screen. Hopefully they will make your license in this app legally accepted by law enforcement or all places that require ID so that you do not have to carry your license or if you happen to have lost your license or forgotten to take your wallet when leaving your residence..OQTWVersion: 0.1.8

✓ App doesn’t work after phone upgradeDon’t know if this an iPhone 15 Pro Max issue or an app or iOS 17 bug but after upgrading, the app hangs on the Yosemite splash screen after the FaceID scan. It has a moving status bar with “Startup Completed!” underneath. No matter how long I wait or whether I switch away and back to the app or if I close and restart the app, I can’t get beyond the splash screen. Also, the scaling and of the splash screen is off. The status bar and dynamic island have a weird, truncated look against the splash screen background. And the”Startup Completed!” message is laid out on top of the top edge of the DMV logo..Dataguy1Version: 0.1.10

✓ Meh just use Apple walletThey tried? It would have been so much better to have it work on Apple wallet. This app is okay when it works but like it just feels like a waste of money when Apple already made a really beautiful experience that’s native to iOS. Like I get that not all people have iPhones but hey California google has a wallet app that supports drivers licenses and it works really well. It’s like my clipper card my credit card my transit card my student id are all on apple wallet but it’s just embarrassing to carry another app around. It’s weird how we are such an innovative state yet this totally missed the mark..Kunal duttVersion: 0.1.10

✓ Awful releaseThis application should never have been released to the public. It barely functions. No accommodations for upgrading or changing phones, it can’t take license drivers license pictures even though I’m on an iPhone 14 pro which has an excellent camera. You need to go back to the drawing board. I can’t believe that California can’t come up with a better solution than this, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Georgia all have Apple Wallet integration for their drivers license. California one of the tech capitals of the world can’t do better?.DavjoyVersion: 0.1.9

✓ DOA either with iPhone 15 or iOS 17Wasn’t stupendous on iPhone 13 and iOS 16, but now won’t even load gets stuck on login screen. It’s not super useful even when it works since it can only be used at a few airports and with age verification systems that I doubt anybody uses. Other states are implementing the Apple wallet version which is functional in almost all use cases. Update: still lousy app. You need to delete it and reinstall if it is installed automatically after upgrading phone. Won’t read my license. Like credit cards in Apple wallet you shouldn’t have to start from square 1 when updating phone just validate that it is really your phone. Ca dmv really missing the boat here..Dkde007Version: 0.1.10

✓ IPhone SE (1st gen) screen too short (Updated)! *** FINALLY, figured out how to virtually press Accept button (which is off screen) and load mDL to CA DMV Wallet. I used Accessibility in Settings — Accessibilty > turn on VoiceOver. Then tap screen twice when voice over says the button. It will activate said button — unfortunately was unable to test it out at LAX & HNL airports as it wasn’t loaded to DMV Wallet yet *** [— I see the preview of my info and photo but can’t finalize and hit Accept to load DL to DMV wallet :( Accept button is beyond screen and pop-up screen doesn’t pan or scroll. :: Developer sent a reply saying to “reduce zoom“, which was done before writing this review. Text is as small as it gets. The screen size for 1st gen iPhone SE is 4 inches (640 x 1136 pixels). ].Okra winfreyVersion: 0.2.0

✓ Cannot scanLove the idea of this but, like previous user mentioned, I cannot scan. It does not allow me to scroll up enough to hit the 'start' button to scan. And I cannot even restart it, because every time I attempt to it brings me back to the same screen. So it's stuck. And the virtual chat assistant is no help. And I can't find anything that allows me to ask a live person. Frustrating. I realize it's a pilot program, so I will try again another day. Thinking you might not get 1.5 million too soon if we cannot do it remotely. 🙄.DeniselbmVersion: 0.1.9

✓ Too Many issuesInitially, I faced the same issue as another app user when I got to the screen that gives tips for taking a proper image of your ID. I couldn’t scroll down to hit the “next” button. Once I went to my iPhone settings and chose smaller text I was able to get past that first glitch. But then during the “selfie” portion of the screening, I repeatedly got a message saying “unexpected error.” And after MANY failed attempts despite adjusting lighting and following all of the recommendations on the app, I gave up. Really frustrating!.Dessi410Version: 0.1.9

✓ Didn’t work. Was it tested on iPhone 8?IPhone 8, iOS 16.6, installed app on 9/4/23 version 0.1.9. 1) Can’t scroll down to select button even though I can see the button. Resolved this by reducing text size to be the smallest one. 2) Scanning DL would cut off the edges (California without the “C”), no matter what distance I used. 3) I used another iphone (my husband’s iPhone 12, iOS 16.6) to do the scanning to resolve #3 and it worked. DL was scanned without the edges being trimmed. 4) Now I tried to log back on to get to my digital DL from #3. However, my account doesn’t show the DL created using another phone even though it was created with my account there. Shouldn’t my info store in my account? 5) On my iphone, I tried creating it from scratch again, even though the scanned pics were trimmed. After scanning, there was another screen popped up asking me to “tap the accept button”. but there’s no “accept” button. 6) I deleted all the processes, restarted my phone, went to the app again and still didn’t work. Please test it thoroughly before releasing the app..Not working on iPhone 8Version: 0.1.9

✓ Terrible Use InterfaceWhen the step comes to “Continue “ (in order to take a photo of your license ), the continue button is not accessible. When screen is scrolled down to access this button it hops back up, hiding it completely! The screen at that point could would not scroll properly or let you expand or contract as the developer suggested to do. That doesn’t work! I tried settings/Accessibility/Zoom to see if I could move around the screen. After doing that, the text size was huge(4-5 words per screen) and didn’t allow me to move ahead any further. The phone locked!! I had to do a forced reboot in order to return to normal functioning. The 1st thing I did was to turn off Zoom! Great idea! Very poor implementation!!.WarrenWld1Version: 0.1.9

CA DMV Wallet works most of the time. If it is not working for you, we recommend you excersise some patience and retry later or contact CA DMV Wallet.