Apple has finally been cleared to allow its Wallet ID functions to be used for driver’s licenses and state IDs. The state of Arizona now accepts both forms of documentation as legitimate when displayed in the Wallet app on iPhones and Apple Watches Apple announced today.
By adding the proper documentation to their Wallet, users will be able to effortlessly get through select TSA security checkpoints by simply tapping their iPhone or Apple watch on marked identity readers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The tech hasn’t made its way to all Arizona airports yet, but Apple has made it clear that it’s looking to expand the reach of its Wallet’s digital IDs as legitimate documentation.
While Arizona is the first state to allow Apple device owners to use IDs in Wallet in place of physical copies, the tech giant promises that more states will be following Arizona’s lead. Specifically, Apple expects Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, the territory of Puerto Rico, and Utah to recognize Wallet ID soon. As stated by the company previously, Georgia is likely to be the second state to officially recognize Wallet as a valid form of ID.
The public has known this was coming for quite some time as Apple announced its concrete plans to bring the feature to select states in September, but the fact that it’s come to fruition is certainly exciting. Consumers have been hoping that digital IDs would start becoming officially accepted for a while and today’s announcement marks a major step in that becoming a widespread reality.
Questions regarding concerns over information privacy and security are certainly still making the rounds when it comes to this technology. That said, Apple has been transparent about where personal information is stored and what the company can and cannot see. It’s marketed the newly accepted Wallet ID features as a way to keep certain information private from those examining physical identification but still runs into the problem of that information being handled by a private company.
It’s still to be seen how broadly accepted using the Apple Wallet’s ID features will be among both governmental bodies and private establishments alike, but the news that Arizona is accepting it in select locations is certainly a big step forward.