Skip to main content

Your iPhone will be able to store your driver’s license in these eight states

Apple is adding support this fall for storing driver’s licenses in the iOS wallet app as part of the iOS 15 update. Today, the company shared a list of the first eight U.S. states that would work with this feature.

Person accessing a state ID using their Apple Watch.
Luke Chesser/Unsplash

When this feature rolls out, users will be able to access their identity documents and transit passes alongside their bank cards via the Apple Wallet app. Apple says Arizona and Georgia will be the first two states, with Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah joining them at some unspecified time afterward. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be the first body that supports this initiative, allowing users to fly with just their iPhones as ID. There’s also word that iOS 15 will support the secure storage of vaccine cards, though until it rolls out, you have several other options.

Related Videos

“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.”

“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.”

The Apple Wallet's ID display.
Apple

Digital licenses for the Apple Wallet have been worked on as a concept since 2016, but this is the first time users (albeit in these select states) would be able to access and make use of them. Adding a supported license to the Apple Wallet is as easy as adding a regular bank card or transit pass. You’ll also need to take a selfie at that point such that the state’s database can verify you before the ID is added to the Wallet app. It’s like waiting for a 2FA code when adding a bank card. Once enabled, you’ll be able to tap your iPhone or Apple Watch on identity readers to display your ID. Crucially and for privacy purposes, Apple says that users do not need to hand their devices over to agents, nor do they need to unlock them. The company also confirms that ID stored this way is encrypted and locked behind biometric authentication.

The precise dates for this to roll out aren’t yet available, but Apple says that participating states and the TSA will make an announcement. You’ll need to have iOS 15 on board of course, but that should be rolling out soon, and we already have a hands-on of its key features.

Editors' Recommendations

What is Google Assistant? Here’s the guide you need to get started
Using Google Assistant on the Google Pixel Watch.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is huge news right now, thanks to chatbots like ChatGPT -- but did you know you can already access an AI on your Android phone? Google Assistant is Google's AI-powered voice assistant, and it's available on Android, iOS, and a large number of smart devices (like Google's Nest speakers). While not as capable as ChatGPT (yet), Google Assistant can handle an impressive number of tasks — including pausing and resuming songs and videos, making tasks and reminders, and in some cases, even taking and screening phone calls for you.

That may seem like a lot, but Google Assistant is relatively simple to use. If you've never used a voice assistant before, we've got this guide to help you get to grips with it and take your first steps.
What is Google Assistant?

Read more
6 years later, the iPhone X still does one thing better than the iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone X.

I’ve been an iPhone user since the very beginning, starting with the original iPhone. You know, the one with the 3.5-inch display that was perfect at the time, making it super easy to use a phone with one hand? As the years go by, the iPhone — and every other smartphone out there — just get bigger and bigger. We now have phones that with almost 7-inch displays, and honestly, I don’t understand how anyone can comfortably use these giant phones — especially if you have smaller hands!

With the iPhone, we’ve gone from 3.5-inch to 4-inches, then 4.7-inches to 5.8-inches, and now the standard 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch of the iPhone 14/iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Plus/iPhone 14 Pro Max, respectively. I personally use an iPhone 14 Pro as my primary device, and while I have gotten used to the 6.1-inch size over the past few years, I still think it’s too big. In fact, the last perfect size iPhone was the iPhone XS with the 5.8-inch display ... and I really wish Apple would bring it back.
5.8 inches was a perfect middle ground

Read more
Your Tinder profile is about to change in 3 huge ways
An image of two iPhones displaying the new badges coming to Tinder.

Tinder's dating app gives users a quick look into a potential match's life before they decide if they're compatible via swipe, but now even more information will be on full display. Following an update that went live today, desired relationship types, a person's pronouns, and relationship goals will now appear front and center on user profiles as badges found directly underneath a person's name and age.

The updated information has been added in order to improve clarity for all users. According to a survey conducted by Tinder, 73% of Tinder users say that they're looking for someone on the app who knows what they want and are clear about it. The newfound focus Tinder is taking on clarity when it comes to what sort of relationship type a person is looking for is meant to help streamline interactions, and cut out any matches that come from misaligned expectations.

Read more