Apple, Google wallets now support California driver's licenses

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Apple Wallet icon

Image Credits: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto / Getty Images

California residents can now store their driver’s license or state ID in their Apple Wallet apps, the state’s government announced on Thursday. California started allowing digital IDs through Google Wallet just last month.

Californians with an ID in the Apple Wallet or Google Wallet app can use their mobile devices to present their ID in person at select TSA security checkpoints and businesses. They can also use the app to verify their age or identity in select apps.

Other states that already support digital driver’s licenses and state IDs include Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, and Ohio.

How to add your ID to Apple and Google Wallets

To load your ID into the Apple Wallet app, you need to click on the “+” button at the top of the screen in the app, then choose “Driver’s License or State ID.” From there, you need to follow the on-screen instructions to start the setup and verification process. You will prompted to take a selfie and then scan the front and back on your driver’s license or state ID card.

To do so in the Google Wallet app, you need to tap the “Add to Wallet” option in the app and then select the “ID card.” Then you need to select your state and follow the verification steps with your physical ID.

“We’re partnering with two iconic California companies — Apple and Google — to provide convenient, private and secure driver’s licenses and ID cards directly on people’s phones,” said California governor Gavin Newsom in a statement announcing the program earlier this year. “This is a big step in our efforts to better serve all Californians, meeting people where they’re at and with technology people use every day,” he added.

The governor’s website noted that more than 500,000 Californians have already added a mobile driver’s license (mDL) to their phone using the California DMV Wallet app. The mDL pilot program has been limited to 1.5 million participants.

According to the Secure Technology Alliance, more than 20 states are currently exploring the idea of adopting mobile digital licenses.

These states include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming.

This article was updated to reflect that Californians can now add their digital IDs to Apple and Google Wallets.

Apple finally adds support for RCS in latest iOS 18 beta

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Image Credits: Smartboy10 / Getty Images

Apple has finally added support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) to its Messages app. The feature arrived as part of the second developer beta of iOS 18 earlier this week.

RCS is a messaging protocol that uses the internet to let you send and receive files and high-quality images, see typing indicators, get read receipts, start group chats and more. Until now, iPhone users could only send SMS or MMS messages from the Messages app to people who didn’t have an Apple device — you could share media, get read receipts and use other features only with other Apple device users via iMessage. With this update, iPhone users can start texting and sharing files with anyone who uses a device that supports RCS, which includes most Android phones.

However, messages from Android devices will still show up as green bubbles in iMessage.

Support for RCS seems to be limited to U.S. carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon for now. While users can see the toggle if they have installed the iOS 18 developer beta, the feature will only work if their mobile carrier supports RCS and has updated their network bundle for iOS 18. We’ll update this story when we hear of the protocol being supported in other regions.

Apple briefly mentioned that iOS 18 would get RCS support during its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote earlier this month.

“When messaging contacts who do not have an Apple device, the Messages app now supports RCS for richer media and more reliable group messaging compared to SMS and MMS,” Apple said in its press release detailing iOS 18.

iPhone and Android users alike have been asking Apple to support RCS for ages, since it makes it easier to message and share things with people regardless of what device they use. Google has also been pushing Apple to break the blue and green bubble divide for years.

The developer beta also brought the ability to mirror iPhones on Mac displays.

Google Translate adds support for 110 languages, representing 614M speakers

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Google translate

Image Credits: Google

Google said today that it is adding support for 110 languages to its translation service. The company has used its PaLM 2 AI model to power translations. 

These languages include Afar, Cantonese, Manx, Nko, Punjabi (Shahmukhi), Tamazight (Amazigh) and Tok Pisin. The company said the newly added languages represent over 614 million speakers or roughly 8% of the world’s population. 

Google noted that these languages are in different stages of usage. While some of them have 100 million speakers, some of them don’t have any active speakers — but people are working to preserve those languages. 

Google said it considers elements like regional varieties, dialects, and different spelling standards while adding support for a language.

“Our approach has been to prioritize the most commonly used varieties of each language. For example, Romani is a language that has many dialects all throughout Europe. Our models produce text that is closest to Southern Vlax Romani, a commonly used variety online. But it also mixes in elements from others, like Northern Vlax and Balkan Romani,” Isaac Caswell, a software engineer at Google, said in a statement. 

The addition of 110 languages to Google Translate is part of its initiative to support 1,000 languages through AI, which was announced in 2022. In the same year, the company added support for 24 languages spoken by over 300 million people through its one-shot model. With the latest additions, Google Translate now supports 243 languages.

At WWDC, Apple announced that it is adding support for Hindi to its translation app. However, as compared to Google, Apple Translate supports just over 20 languages.

X begins rolling out support for passkeys on Android

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X (formerly Twitter) logo on a cracked wall

Image Credits: TechCrunch

X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced that it’s rolling out support for passkeys on Android. The launch comes as the social network rolled out support for passkeys to all iOS users back in April.

Passkey logins make it harder for bad actors to remotely access your accounts since they would also need physical access to your phone. Unlike standard logins, passkeys use Face ID or Touch ID, a PIN, or a physical security authentication key to validate logins.

Passkeys are a relatively new technology that removes the need to rely on username and password combinations, which can be susceptible to phishing and other issues.

X is one of many tech companies to introduce passkey support in the past year or so. Other big names that have done so include Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, PayPal, TikTok, WhatsApp and GitHub.

On X, the addition of passkey support could help users who previously relied on SMS 2FA, an option that X removed for free users last year.

You can enable passkeys on X by logging into the app, clicking “Your account” in the navigation bar and then selecting “Settings and privacy.” Next, you need to click “Security and account access,” and then “Security.” Under the “Additional password protection” options select “Passkey.” Click the “Add a passkey” option and then follow the prompts to enable the feature.

OpenAI, Adobe and Microsoft support California bill requiring watermarks on AI content

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Image Credits: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg / Getty Images

OpenAI, Adobe and Microsoft have thrown their support behind a California bill requiring tech companies to label AI-generated content, according to letters from the companies viewed by TechCrunch. The bill is headed for a final vote in August.

AB 3211 requires watermarks in the metadata of AI-generated photos, videos and audio clips. Lots of AI companies already do this, but most people don’t read metadata. AB 3211 also requires large online platforms, like Instagram or X, to label AI-generated content in a way average viewers can understand.

OpenAI, Adobe and Microsoft are part of the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, which helped create C2PA metadata — a widely used standard for marking AI-generated content.

A trade group representing Adobe, Microsoft and the nation’s largest software makers previously opposed AB 3211 in April, calling the bill “unworkable” and “overly burdensome” in a letter to California lawmakers. However, amendments to the bill appear to have changed their minds.

Elon Musk unexpectedly offers support for California's AI bill

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Image Credits: BRITTA PEDERSEN/POOL/AFP / Getty Images

Elon Musk has come out in support of California’s SB 1047, a bill that requires makers of very large AI models to create and document safeguards against those models causing serious harm.

“This is a tough call and will make some people upset, but, all things considered, I think California should probably pass the SB 1047 AI safety bill,” he wrote on X on Monday afternoon. “For over 20 years, I have been an advocate for AI regulation, just as we regulate any product/technology that is a potential risk.”

Musk — whose own large AI model company, xAI, would be subject to SB 1047’s requirements despite his pledge to leave California — has warned of the dangers of runaway AI in the past.

Meanwhile, rival outfit OpenAI recently announced it opposes the bill, supporting an alternative bill instead.

Elon Musk unexpectedly offers support for California's AI bill

by with No Comment Tech

Image Credits: BRITTA PEDERSEN/POOL/AFP / Getty Images

Elon Musk has come out in support of California’s SB 1047, a bill that requires makers of very large AI models to create and document safeguards against those models causing serious harm.

“This is a tough call and will make some people upset, but, all things considered, I think California should probably pass the SB 1047 AI safety bill,” he wrote on X on Monday afternoon. “For over 20 years, I have been an advocate for AI regulation, just as we regulate any product/technology that is a potential risk.”

Musk — whose own large AI model company, xAI, would be subject to SB 1047’s requirements despite his pledge to leave California — has warned of the dangers of runaway AI in the past.

Meanwhile, rival outfit OpenAI recently announced it opposes the bill, supporting an alternative bill instead.

X begins rolling out support for passkeys on Android

by with No Comment Tech

X (formerly Twitter) logo on a cracked wall

Image Credits: TechCrunch

X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced that it’s rolling out support for passkeys on Android. The launch comes as the social network rolled out support for passkeys to all iOS users back in April.

Passkey logins make it harder for bad actors to remotely access your accounts since they would also need physical access to your phone. Unlike standard logins, passkeys use Face ID or Touch ID, a PIN, or a physical security authentication key to validate logins.

Passkeys are a relatively new technology that removes the need to rely on username and password combinations, which can be susceptible to phishing and other issues.

X is one of many tech companies to introduce passkey support in the past year or so. Other big names that have done so include Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, PayPal, TikTok, WhatsApp and GitHub.

On X, the addition of passkey support could help users who previously relied on SMS 2FA, an option that X removed for free users last year.

You can enable passkeys on X by logging into the app, clicking “Your account” in the navigation bar and then selecting “Settings and privacy.” Next, you need to click “Security and account access,” and then “Security.” Under the “Additional password protection” options select “Passkey.” Click the “Add a passkey” option and then follow the prompts to enable the feature.

Apple finally adds support for RCS in latest iOS 18 beta

by with No Comment Tech

Image Credits: Smartboy10 / Getty Images

Apple has finally added support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) to its Messages app. The feature arrived as part of the second developer beta of iOS 18 earlier this week.

RCS is a messaging protocol that uses the internet to let you send and receive files and high-quality images, see typing indicators, get read receipts, start group chats and more. Until now, iPhone users could only send SMS or MMS messages from the Messages app to people who didn’t have an Apple device — you could share media, get read receipts and use other features only with other Apple device users via iMessage. With this update, iPhone users can start texting and sharing files with anyone who uses a device that supports RCS, which includes most Android phones.

However, messages from Android devices will still show up as green bubbles in iMessage.

Support for RCS seems to be limited to U.S. carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon for now. While users can see the toggle if they have installed the iOS 18 developer beta, the feature will only work if their mobile carrier supports RCS and has updated their network bundle for iOS 18. We’ll update this story when we hear of the protocol being supported in other regions.

Apple briefly mentioned that iOS 18 would get RCS support during its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote earlier this month.

“When messaging contacts who do not have an Apple device, the Messages app now supports RCS for richer media and more reliable group messaging compared to SMS and MMS,” Apple said in its press release detailing iOS 18.

iPhone and Android users alike have been asking Apple to support RCS for ages, since it makes it easier to message and share things with people regardless of what device they use. Google has also been pushing Apple to break the blue and green bubble divide for years.

The developer beta also brought the ability to mirror iPhones on Mac displays.

Google Translate adds support for 110 languages, representing 614M speakers

by with No Comment Tech

Google translate

Image Credits: Google

Google said today that it is adding support for 110 languages to its translation service. The company has used its PaLM 2 AI model to power translations. 

These languages include Afar, Cantonese, Manx, Nko, Punjabi (Shahmukhi), Tamazight (Amazigh) and Tok Pisin. The company said the newly added languages represent over 614 million speakers or roughly 8% of the world’s population. 

Google noted that these languages are in different stages of usage. While some of them have 100 million speakers, some of them don’t have any active speakers — but people are working to preserve those languages. 

Google said it considers elements like regional varieties, dialects, and different spelling standards while adding support for a language.

“Our approach has been to prioritize the most commonly used varieties of each language. For example, Romani is a language that has many dialects all throughout Europe. Our models produce text that is closest to Southern Vlax Romani, a commonly used variety online. But it also mixes in elements from others, like Northern Vlax and Balkan Romani,” Isaac Caswell, a software engineer at Google, said in a statement. 

The addition of 110 languages to Google Translate is part of its initiative to support 1,000 languages through AI, which was announced in 2022. In the same year, the company added support for 24 languages spoken by over 300 million people through its one-shot model. With the latest additions, Google Translate now supports 243 languages.

At WWDC, Apple announced that it is adding support for Hindi to its translation app. However, as compared to Google, Apple Translate supports just over 20 languages.