Your driver’s license and state ID cards could soon go digital.
Apple announced Wednesday that Arizona is among a handful of states to be the first to introduce the digital Wallet option to residents. The exact rollout date has not yet been disclosed.
The Wallet feature allows you to securely save your credit cards, insurance cards, event and travel tickets, and other documents to your iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple says it will soon also offer home, apartment, and hotel keys through Wallet. However, it's widening its reach first with driver's licenses and state identification cards.
“Arizona and Georgia will be the first states to introduce this new innovation to their residents, with Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah to follow,” a press release states.
“Arizona is at the leading edge of states making mobile IDs available to the public…,” said Eric Jorgensen, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, in the press release. “Beyond being innovative and exciting, a digital version of a driver’s license offers increased security and privacy for our residents, making it something everyone should consider.”
Select Transportation Security Administration checkpoints will offer lanes at some airports where travelers can use a digital Wallet ID as identification. Those locations have not yet been released.
Apple says Wallet is more convenient and also more private and secure than carrying physical cards, even if you lose your phone. You can access your cards only through unlocking your phone, utilizing biometric data, encryption, and Face and Touch ID. There is also the option to remotely erase a device offer in case of an emergency.
ADOT already offers a mobile ID app, allowing users to show ID securely on their phone. ADOT says the phone app can be used at participating locations to verify your identity.
