The state of Arizona is the first to permit the storage of a driver’s licence on an iPhone by a resident. Following its announcement last year, Apple has now made the first state available to use its digital ID function. The Wallet app for iPhone and Apple Watch now allows Arizona residents to upload their driver’s licence or state ID.
Those who live in Arizona will be the first to be able to use Apple’s Wallet app to store digital copies of their drivers’ licences, something the company initially hinted at during its iOS 15 preview last year.
Along with credit card information, tickets, and passes previously stored in Wallet, Apple introduced capability for storing driver’s licences and state ID cards as part of that software upgrade. Apps such as this one are part of Apple’s plan to transform its mobile devices into digital wallets capable of handling anything from mobile payments to validating your identity.
Even though iOS 15 was released in September, it did not have the digital ID functionality. With the release of iOS 15.4 last week, Apple established the groundwork for the rollout of digital ID functionality in all 50 states.
The Wallet app will be allowed to use digital IDs for the first time in Arizona. TSA security checkpoints at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will be able to accept a digital duplicate of a driver’s licence or state ID card saved on an iPhone.
Following in Arizona’s footsteps, other states are anticipated to adopt similar policies. Apple said it will soon add support for the U.S. states of Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, and Ohio, as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. When Apple first announced the digital ID function in 2010, it listed Connecticut as an early adopter, along with Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah among the states.
How to get your drivers license or state ID into iOS 15’s Wallet app
To use Wallet’s digital ID function, you must have iOS 15.4. A minimum of an iPhone 8 is also required. You’ll need an Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 8.4 to use this function.
Although California does not currently accept digital IDs on iPhones, I am unable to try the functionality out for myself. To add your state-issued ID, Apple claims that it just takes a few steps to do so.
Go to the page where you would typically add your debit, credit, or public transportation cards to your digital wallet by tapping on the Plus button after opening the Wallet app. You should be able to upload your driver’s licence or state ID card if your state allows digital IDs.
Add a card needs you to scan both sides of your government-issued photo identification (ID). You’ll be asked to take a selfie and perform facial and head motions similar to those required to activate Face ID on your iPhone. It will be transmitted to your state government, which may then verify and accept your request for the addition of your digital ID to Wallet.
To use your phone as a digital ID at a TSA checkpoint, just unlock it and place it in close proximity to the scanner. By touching the iPhone’s side button, you may validate the data that will be provided to the TSA – essentially, the same data as is on your driver’s licence or state ID card. And you didn’t even have to give your phone over to a TSA agent.
Security of digital IDs under Apple
Apps such as Wallet use “the privacy and security integrated into your iPhone or Apple Watch to give advantages that a traditional ID card can’t match,” according to Apple. Apple goes on to say:
- Driver’s license and state ID in Wallet presents only the information needed for the interaction
- Users have the opportunity to review and authorize information being requested before it is shared
- Digital IDs are shared through encrypted communication directly between iPhone/Apple Watch and the identity reader
- If a device is lost, Find My allows you to remotely lock or erase it
- For supported TSA locations, users do not need to show or hand over their device, just tap it on the NFC reader
- However, TSA will also capture a picture for verification purposes
On its website for IDs in the Wallet app, Apple included two tutorials on how to add and use digital identification at compatible TSA checkpoints.