When will Florida relaunch the Smart ID app and how will residents be notified?
Executive summary
Florida removed its Smart ID mobile app from the Apple and Google Play stores in July 2024 and asked users to delete it while the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) seeks a new vendor to redevelop the product, with the agency publicly saying it expects a new app “by early 2025” and urging residents to email FloridaSmartID@flhsmv.gov to receive notifications [1] [2] [3]. Multiple news outlets and tech sites repeated that timeline and the notification channel, but the reporting also shows the relaunch date is an expectation rather than a firm commitment and could slip [4] [5].
1. What happened and why the pause matters
The FLHSMV pulled the Florida Smart ID app from app stores in July 2024, deactivated the existing service, and told users to delete the app while it selects a new vendor to “update and improve” the platform, assuring users their data remain secure [1] [3] [4]. Media coverage from The Verge, ClickOrlando and Jacksonville makes clear the move followed low adoption and uneven acceptance by law enforcement and retailers—factors likely driving the decision to start over with a different vendor [1] [3] [6].
2. When will the app relaunch?
FLHSMV and multiple news reports set expectations for a rebuilt Smart ID “by early 2025,” language the agency used in its public FAQs and emails to users; outlets such as GovTech, AppleInsider and PCMag quoted the same timeline [2] [5] [4]. That projected “early 2025” target is presented as an expectation, not a guaranteed launch date, and industry-tracking sources note the program was being reworked as of 2025 and that a full redevelopment was underway [7] [2]. Reporting also documents discrepancies in user counts and adoption metrics—some pieces cite under 100,000 activations (South Florida Sun-Sentinel referenced via Jacksonville) while others report higher figures—underscoring the practical uncertainty around relaunch readiness [6] [2].
3. How will residents be notified about the relaunch?
FLHSMV explicitly instructed residents to email FloridaSmartID@flhsmv.gov to be added to a notification list and said the agency would notify users via email when the new app is available; that contact-and-email-notification method is repeated across The Verge, AppleInsider, PCMag and local Florida outlets [1] [5] [4] [3]. In addition, the agency removed the app’s FAQ and posted notices on its website and sent emails to existing app users about deletion and the pending redevelopment, indicating the state intends to use direct email and official FLHSMV channels for updates [1] [3].
4. Caveats, competing perspectives and hidden agendas
The “early 2025” timeline comes from FLHSMV messaging repeated by reporters, but it is an estimate and subject to vendor selection, technical redevelopment, security certification and adoption hurdles—matters not fully detailed in the public notices [2] [7]. Critics and some law enforcement agencies had limited awareness or acceptance of the app before it was pulled, which may have influenced the state’s decision to seek a fresh start and could explain conservative public messaging [6] [8]. Vendor change also raises the possibility of procurement politics and contract priorities shaping the relaunch schedule; reporting mentions a move away from the original Thales-backed implementation toward a new developer without elaborating on procurement timelines [7] [9].
5. Bottom line for residents and recommended expectations
Residents should treat the relaunch date as tentative: FLHSMV publicly projects an early-2025 redevelopment but has not posted a hard launch date, and the agency is using email as the primary promised notification channel—interested Floridians can email FloridaSmartID@flhsmv.gov to sign up for alerts and should continue to carry physical driver’s licenses until the new app is officially released and broadly accepted [2] [1] [4].