ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico opened the gates on cutting edge technology last year, letting people download a digital driver's license to their smart phones. But four months later, it turns out not many places are accepting those IDs. Part of the intent behind mobile IDs is to give an e asier license verification process to businesses selling alcohol however, some still have their doubts about how quick or secure it is. Story continues below NM Film: Are overseas film productions pulling work away from New Mexico? Environment: Mexican gray wolf seen roaming north of I-40 found dead Transit: City of Albuquerque looks to crack down on improperly parked E-scooters It's been a standard for generations. If you want a drink? You need to show a physical ID. But last December, New Mexico changed the game, joining 11 states allowing for digital driver's licenses on smartphones, and to verify those IDs, the state launched a special app for businesses to use. It's something Nob Hill's Happy Accidents bar uses today. "Physical IDs just present a bunch of variables that are difficult to ascertain in the heat of the moment, whereas digital IDs say it's very fast, very simple, and for us it's much less liability," said Zach Work, general manager of Happy Accidents. Now, four months in, the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division said just over 53,000 New Mexicans have those digital IDs, and only around 180 businesses have downloaded the verifier app. A lot of businesses, including Santa Fe Brewing, aren't using the new tech yet. "It's already a little difficult to make sure were following a consistent standard for the IDs that are physical, so you know adding the virtual just adds another layer to making sure we're staying consistent with following the laws and making sure all these IDs are real," said Dakota Lopez, Tin Can Alley Taproom General Manager, Santa Fe Brewing. Old Town's "High Noon" restaurant agrees, but also said only one person has tried to use a digital ID, and they were from Colorado. They're open to the idea, though. "We'll have to get training on it to make sure we appropriately can identify an on-telephone ID," said Edie Bickel, bar manager at High Noon restaurant. Happy Accidents said it has worked well and encouraged other bars to try it out. "It's definitely more secure because of the very quick verification. Just says whether the ID is valid and if they're over the age of 21, which all we're really concerned about as a bar," said Work. KRQE News 13 called around 30 Albuquerque businesses on Tuesday to see who was using the new digital ID process. They said another factor is that the state's verifier app is only available on iPhones right now and not on Android phones. The MVD told us they expect business acceptance of mobile IDs to expand significantly in the future. ...read more read less