Apple is making air travel less of a headache, by consolidating multiple documents onto iPhone and Apple Watch’s Wallet app. And now, Arizona is the first state to allow driver’s licenses and state IDs to be added to Apple Wallet and to be used at select TSA security checkpoints.
To add your driver’s license to Wallet, all you need to do is take a picture of the front and back of the card, as well as a photo of yourself. For additional verification, a series of facial and head movements will be required. The pictures will be sent to the state to be verified.
For now, the digital driver’s license or state ID is only accepted at select TSA airport security checkpoints at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Users can simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to bring up the ID, and then present it to the identity reader.
Read More: Apple Announces That Users Can Upload Their Driver’s License To Wallet App
A physical driver’s license must still be shown to police officers during traffic stops, as identification before entering a bar, and to notarize documents.
Apple says that versus a physical ID, Wallet presents only the information needed for the interaction, reducing the amount of information shared. The ID is also presented through encrypted communication between your device and the identity reader, eliminating the need to show your screen, or hand over your phone.
Biometric Face and Touch authentication also means that only the person that added the ID to Wallet can present it, increasing security. Additionally, if the iPhone or Watch is lost, users can use the Find My app to locate them, or remotely erase the data.
The technology is expected to make its way to several other states in the future, including Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and the territory of Puerto Rico. An iPhone 8 running iOS 15.4 or a Series 4 Apple Watch using watchOS 8.4 is required to upload your license to Wallet.
