U.S. State Will Now Accept Digital Driver's License on iPhone The digital IDs will be able to be used at select security checkpoints in airports.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
As the future inevitably becomes more digital, many have opted to switch to digital payment methods in lieu of physical cards.
Now, it looks like forms of identification might be headed that way too, questioning whether or not we will eventually even ned to carry wallets around anymore.
Arizona has just become the first U.S. state to allow residents to show identification by uploading their Driver's License or State ID to their Apple Wallet, though the digital versions will not be accepted in all cases.
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Residents that have TSA PreCheck will be able to use their digital identification at select security checkpoints at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. Travelers will still need their physical identification when flying back to Arizona, however.
Digital IDs in Arizona will not be permitted for presenting proof of age to consume or purchase alcohol, or for any other usage that might require age verification.
"We're thrilled to bring the first driver's license and state ID in Wallet to Arizona today, and provide Arizonans with an easy, secure, and private way to present their ID when traveling, through just a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch," Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, said in a statement. "We look forward to working with many more states and the TSA to bring IDs in Wallet to users across the U.S."
In order to upload an ID to the Apple Wallet, residents can tap the "+" button at the top of their wallet and follow through the verification process. Users will have to scan the front and back of their physical ids as well as take a photo of themselves in order to verify that they are the same person that the id belongs to.
Georgia will be the next state to roll out the featured, followed by Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, Utah, Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and the territory of Puerto Rico.
"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," Bailey said. "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."
Apple explained that the digital IDs are "presented digitally through encrypted communication" so users don't need to unlock their devices or show the ID when checking in at security.
The new feature is currently supported on iPhone 8 and later as well as Apple Watch Series 4 and later.
Apple was up over 43% year over year as of Wednesday afternoon.
