Do you keep forgetting your ID when you go out? Your iPhone can now act as a digital driver’s license in these four states… here’s how
Apple has a helpful feature for those who leave their ID cards at home all the time.
Forgetful people can save their driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet.
The ID is encrypted and stored in the same secure element as users’ credit cards, transit and airline cards.
Users simply upload their IDs like they would a credit card by opening Wallet, selecting “Driver’s License or State ID,” then selecting their state of residence.
However, the feature is only available in select states: Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, and Georgia.
IDs can be added to an iPhone 8 or later and an Apple Watch Series 4 or later and are read by tapping the device on a scanner.
Users simply upload their IDs like they would a credit card by opening Wallet, selecting “Driver’s License or State ID,” then selecting their state of residence
At its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2021, Apple presented the possibility of storing IDs in wallets as part of the updates in iOS 15.
While only a few states are eligible to participate, Apple noted two years ago that Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah will be additional states involved in rolling out the feature in the near future.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be the first federal agency to authorize the use of digital licenses at airport security checkpoints in the first eight states to perform the function.
Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet platforms, said in a 2021 statement, “We’re excited that the TSA and so many states are already on board to help make this easier for travelers across the country to do Bringing life to people who only use their iPhone and Apple Watch, and we’re already in talks with many more states as we work to make this nationwide in the future.
IDs can be added to an iPhone 8 or later and an Apple Watch Series 4 or later and are read by tapping the device on a scanner
The tech giant has assured its users that the feature was “designed with privacy in mind” and that personal information on digital IDs will not be tracked or shared.
It also raised the question of possible privacy leaks.
While the new feature is only available for TSA use in a few states, it’s difficult to envision a future with an interaction where users present digital state driver’s licenses or ID cards to law enforcement without knowing how police officers interact with the phone person will interact if your driver’s license is on it, especially if they have to use it to return to their police cars.
The American Civil Liberties Union raised the issue in a recent report on the impact of society’s adoption of digital ID cards and their potential for abuse by law enforcement.
“With questionable searches of mobile devices being widespread by police, legal safeguards against such searches – which are already required – become even more important if people’s smartphones are to become a central and routine part of how they interact with law enforcement,” reads the the report.
In the other 42 states, the launch of Apple’s plan to replace physical wallets has not yet been announced.
In 2020, Apple filed for patents for “a device that implements a system for using a verified identity claim,” Apple Insider reported.
The company reported that 48 percent of iPhone owners worldwide use Apple Pay.
The US ranks second only to the UK for adoption of Apple Pay out of 17 countries assessed in terms of global adoption rates.