You’ll need to keep track of your ID in addition to your tickets, boarding pass, bags, loved ones, and more as you make your way through the airport if you’re traveling during the holidays. Let’s dig deep into How Can You Upload Your Driver License To Your iPhone?
Almost all airlines now accept digital boarding passes, and several states are allowing people to store their driver’s licenses or other recognized credentials in Apple Wallet, allowing them to just flash their iPhones or Apple Watches when necessary.
In 2021, Apple launched the plan and included the technology in iPhone’s iOS 15.
When driver’s licenses and state IDs were added to Apple Wallet, Jennifer Bailey, VP of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, said, “This is a critical step in our ambition of replacing the physical wallet with a secure and easy-to-use mobile wallet.”
Just yet, it hasn’t changed the game everywhere: Only three states have begun actively recognizing digital IDs, despite the fact that twelve have committed to doing so.
While your departure airport could be okay with your Apple Watch driver’s license, your arrival airport might not be so accommodating.
However, the Transportation Security Administration has already begun implementing the technology at certain airport security checkpoints in participating airports.
The government organization added, “Digital identification has the potential to boost airport security and enhance the passenger experience by eliminating touchpoints, giving greater privacy, and authenticating IDs more accurately.” This choice will eventually become the norm across the country; the only question is when.
Find out how to upload your driver’s license to Apple Wallet and which states accept digital IDs in this comprehensive guide. Let’s dig deep into How Can You Upload Your Driver License To Your iPhone?
How Can You Upload Your Driver License To Your iPhone?
When you add a driver’s license or other state ID to Apple Wallet, it works the same way as when you add a new credit card.
To get started, open Wallet and click the plus sign in the upper right corner. (If your iPhone is synced with an Apple Watch, you’ll be prompted to add your license there, too.)
The next step is to take a selfie while scanning your physical driver’s license using your iPhone’s camera, “which will be securely submitted to the issuing state for verification.”
Furthermore, “as an additional security step,” you will be required to perform a set of motions with your face and head.
Your state-issued ID will be added to your Wallet after verification is complete.
Your state of residence must be one of those that accept documents from Apple Wallet in order for you to add your driver’s license or state-issued ID card. You’ll also require:
Additionally, the TSA website states that only travelers with TSA PreCheck on their boarding pass are allowed to flash digital licenses; however, the agency has stated that it wants to expand this option to include other passengers in the near future.
Each iPhone and Apple Watch pairing can only store a single license or ID.
For the time being, license uploading is restricted to residents of Arizona, Colorado, and Maryland.
Which States Recognize iPhone Driver’s Licenses?
Apple said in 2021 that 8 states will be taking part in the program, but this year increased that to 12. This list, however, does not include states that actually accept Apple Wallet IDs at this time; only those that have publicly committed to doing so.
At the moment, digital identification is only available at a few airport security checkpoints in Arizona, Colorado, and Maryland.
Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Utah have all pledged their support for the project, as has Puerto Rico. However, particular schedules have not been published.
The list of participating states is projected to grow. According to Bailey, Apple is “already in discussions with many more states” last year.
The South Carolina DMV announced in November that it was “exploring” the possibility of accepting digital identification.
In an interview with The State in Columbia, South Carolina, spokeswoman Maranda Williams said, “There is a proviso that constituted a study committee on the subject and they are still undertaking research.”
In addition to Apple’s initiatives, some states have their own apps, like Louisiana’s LA Wallet, that permit drivers to upload their licenses to their phones. However, TSA has not yet approved these for use as identification for driving or proving age.
My License Is In My Apple Wallet; How Do I Access It At TSA?
At the security checkpoint, you can present your digital ID by tapping your iPhone or Apple Watch on the identity reader.
At that point, you’ll be asked to verify your identity with either Face ID or Touch ID.
If it went off without a hitch, a checkmark will pop up.
“You don’t need to unlock, show or hand over your device” to a TSA agent, the company claims.
Is There A Way To Know If This System Is Safe To Use?
In Apple’s opinion, yes. According to a statement on Apple’s support website, the software employs the same privacy and security protections found in the iPhone and Apple Watch.
The information from your state ID or driver’s license has been encrypted. Biometric authentication with features like Face ID and Touch ID helps ensure that only you have access to and can use your license or ID, and neither the state issuing authority nor Apple can see when and when you use it.
Is A Physical Driver’s License Required If My State Recognizes A Digital ID?
Yes. Given the infancy of the initiative, there is no certainty that a TSA agent will be able to read a driver’s license stored in an Apple Wallet.
The TSA stresses the importance of passengers keeping their physical driver’s licenses on hand. If you’re going through TSA checkpoints, “the TSA officer may ask to see this physical ID in addition to the digital ID.”
If I Already Have A Digital ID, May I Use It Elsewhere?
iOS 16 was released in June, and Apple said that it will allow apps that require age or identity verification to recognize ID cards saved in the Apple Wallet app.
MacRumors suggested that Uber Eats and the car-sharing service Turo would implement such a feature, although neither app has yet to do so.
Apple also predicted this capability would be used in the future by stores, restaurants, and other establishments.
The phone I use is an Android. What forms of identification are accepted by Google Wallet?
Google stated in December 2022 that they were beta testing a feature that would allow Android phone users to upload their driver’s licenses to Google Wallet “for quick, confidential, and secure presentation.”
The business only mentioned that “selected US state(s)” will have access to the new capability, but did not specify which states or when they would get it.
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