Arizona will be the first U.S. state to allow people to digitally save their driver’s license or state ID in Apple’s Wallet app, according to Apple. Last October, the business announced that it had secured the state as one of the first to provide the new function. Beginning at various TSA security checkpoints in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Apple device owners will be able to submit their ID by tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch. To get started, Arizona residents can open the Wallet app on their iPhone and hit the addition “+” icon at the top of the screen, then select “Driver’s License or State ID,” and then follow the on-screen instructions to begin the setup and verification process, according to Apple.
After snapping a selfie, the person is authenticated by scanning both the back and front of their current driver’s license or state ID card. (In other words, this isn’t a substitute for having a DMV ID or license in the first place.) During the setup procedure, users are also asked to execute a series of face and head motions as an extra fraud prevention step. The software will show the user a camera view in which they must swivel their head to the side to ensure that they have not, for example, held up an image to the camera in an attempt to commit fraud.
These scans, together with the user’s photo, are sent to the issuing state for verification in a safe manner. Apple also transmits a number signal of how certain it is that the person providing the ID is the rightful owner. The video of the individual moving their head, which was required during verification, is not sent. The approval procedure takes only a few minutes, and customers will be alerted when the ID is ready in Wallet, much as when they add credit cards.
Users will be able to access the ID or license after it has been uploaded to Wallet for use at supported TSA checkpoints. Users may see what information is being sought before agreeing to supply it using Face ID or Touch ID. Users don’t have to unlock their iPhones to utilize this service, which is akin to Apple Pay. After approval is given, the information is forwarded to an identity reader through encrypted connection.
Users will not be need to hand up their actual ID card or their smartphone because the information would be transferred digitally, according to Apple. A photograph of the traveler will be taken by the TSA reader for additional verification. (This is the digital version of TSA inspectors inspecting a person’s license before returning their gaze to their face to check if they are the same person.) Apple says that, soon, other states will offer the feature as well, including Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio and the territory of Puerto Rico. And it had previously announced seven states were planning to come on board, including Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma and Utah, in addition to Arizona.
Last year, during Apple’s developer conference, the company announced its plan to include driver’s licenses and IDs in Apple Wallet. However, Apple quietly announced in November that the functionality will be postponed until early 2022 in an update to the iOS 15 website. Of course, given the need to validate the user’s ID, the corporation is at the mercy of state governments to get such a product off the ground. Users must agree to Apple Wallet’s terms and conditions, as well as any extra terms and conditions imposed by the state, in order to use the service. The terms, on the other hand, will be established at the state level.
