Apple replaces driving license & ID in 8+ US states

Your iPhone, Your ID

Apple’s inexorable plan to replace all your physical forms of government ID is crossing an important milestone on news of the first US states that will accept digital IDs such as state ID or driver’s license, via Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch.

Your iPhone will be your driving license

Apple announced its plans to replace digital IDs at WWDC in June, making this available with iOS 15. The first eight states to support this will include Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah. Apple is also speaking with many more states concerning the plan.

When a state supports this, residences will be able to add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet and simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to present it to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), without taking out their physical card or handing over their device.

“This new and innovative mobile driver’s license and state ID initiative with Apple and states around the country will enable a more seamless airport security screening experience for travelers,” said David Pekoske, TSA Administrator. “This initiative marks a major milestone by TSA to provide an additional level of convenience for the traveler by enabling more opportunities for touchless TSA airport security screening.”

[Also read: Your iPhone is becoming your COVID-19 passport]

Participating states and the TSA will share more information at a later date about when support for mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs in Wallet will be available in each state, and which TSA airport security checkpoints and select lanes it will be available at first.

If Wallet works on it, it sorts your ID

Going international?

It may be important to note that Apple’s mobile ID implementation supports the ISO 18013-5 mDL (mobile driver’s license) standard which Apple has played an active role in the development of.

This standard is designed to provide clear guidelines for the industry around protecting consumer privacy when presenting an ID or driver’s license through a mobile device.

What’s interesting here is that the standard is shown to be under development, which implies a final version of it will be published in the next weeks. It’s also important to note that this is an international standard. This implies international expansion of this plan.

What Apple said

“The addition of driver’s licenses and state IDs to Apple Wallet is an important step in our vision of replacing the physical wallet with a secure and easy-to-use mobile wallet,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.

“We are excited that the TSA and so many states are already on board to help bring this to life for travelers across the country using only their iPhone and Apple Watch, and we are already in discussions with many more states as we’re working to offer this nationwide in the future.”

At the gates

How to add ID to wallet

• Tap the + button at the top of the screen in Wallet to begin the process.
• If you have a paired Apple Watch you will be prompted to also add your ID or driver’s license to the Wallet app on the device.
• You will then use your iPhone to scan the driver’s license or state ID card and take a selfie, which will be securely provided to the issuing state for verification.
• You will be asked to complete a series of facial and head movements during the setup process.
• Once verified by the issuing state, the customer’s ID or driver’s license will be added to Wallet.

How to use this feature

Once added, you just need to tap your iPhone or Apple Watch against the identity reader. Specific information will be requested, and Face ID or Touch ID will be required to authorize the request. You don’t need to hand over your device or physical ID.

Apple’s security and privacy details

Security and Privacy

Apple says that neither it nor the issuing states know when or where users present their IDs. Identity data is encrypted while use of biometric authentication ensures that only the person who added the ID to the device can view or present their ID or license in Wallet.

Please follow me on Twitter, or join me in the AppleHolic’s bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.