Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Coming to These 8 U.S. States, But Rollout Remains Slow

[AppDave]

The primary point of these will be to ultimately end online anonymity.

Once these become widespread, their use at physical locations will be a small fraction of their use online. Get ready to be carded at an expanding amount of online sites and apps. Starting with porn, but quickly adopted by all major social media companies. They'll start with age checking, which will evolve to name checking.

 

[daverso]

We've had it in Georgia for a while now, and the ONLY place it works is the airport. 0 businesses will accept it. It's pretty pointless.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Years and years and years of “don’t unlock your phone around cops”, and now everyone wants to have to unlock their phone to show ID. I dunno, just seems weird to me.

Apple says this about drivers licenses: "You’ll always see which data you’re sharing, and your information will only be shared after you authorize with Face ID or Touch ID. Neither Apple nor your state issuing authority can see when or where you share your information."

That you do not have to unlock your phone, just verify with face or touch ID.

This is from Apple: "When you present your ID, you can review the information being requested and who is requesting it. When you present your license or ID in person, after you authenticate using Face ID or Touch ID, your ID information is presented digitally through encrypted communication between your iPhone or Apple Watch and the identity reader, so you don’t need to unlock, show, or hand over your device. If your device is locked when you present your ID, it stays locked after you present your ID." https://support.apple.com/en-us/118260

If police don't have a reader (I'm not sure which police departments in which states have the readers, if any do), the digital ID isn't implemented fully so you should have a physical ID with you when driving.

 

[guzhogi]

I've seen guest checkin kiosks at schools that make you scan your drivers license for security checks. It would be useful if you could use a digital license.

 

[LlamaLarry]

Interesting that Virginia is not on the list The VA DMV has been telling residents that it’s coming this spring (2025). We currently have an app based digital DL, but not Apple or Android Wallet integration.

Weird, I had no idea that that was a thing, but I have not been to the DMV in a couple of years when I got my RealID. Thanks!

 

[Dark_Omen]

Our archaic legislators need to get on the ball with digital IDs so we can embrace the future. No more waiting for licenses to come in the mail.

 

[Böhme417]

And oddly enough, ATL seems to be making it more difficult to use this than before.

 

[rishey]

Florida would rather have hell freeze over than to do something like this

I believe it already has frozen over.

 

[kycophpd]

Kentucky's app based DL is already being tested. I do not see any integration to add it to my Apple Wallet yet so it appears to be app based only. There is a simple verification button built in so any business that wanted to use it once it goes live could. State law will still require you to carry your physical ID for the foreseeable future.

 

[slippery-pete]

Years and years and years of “don’t unlock your phone around cops”, and now everyone wants to have to unlock their phone to show ID. I dunno, just seems weird to me.

You are not giving the cop your phone.

 

[pepsijunky]

Where you at Oregon State?

 

[jkev57]

I wish Missouri would get on the move about this, but our legislature is too busy trying to move our state back into the 1800s.

 

[280428055]

I tried to use it at Sky Harbor in Phoenix recently and they looked at me like I was crazy.

 

[zapster]

I don't think you have to unlock your phone. For whatever reason I thought you could show the card without unlocking your phone.

But can someone with this feature confirm? Otherwise I fully agree.

You don't unlock your phone but your phone will light up to demand Face ID or Touch ID to authorize the sharing. (I've never seen the interaction but this is the way the literature describes it.)

 

[dontwalkhand]

I tried to use it at Sky Harbor in Phoenix recently and they looked at me like I was crazy.

I use it there literally weekly. They actually are quite knowledgeable on it and have signs all about it while you’re waiting in the line. You walk past like 5 of the signs telling you that you can use your iPhone to “breeze through security”. There’s also signs about Samsung Wallet too that’s larger than life near the Southwest Airlines TSA side.

 

[fenderbass146]

Never ever Indiana

 

[tooloud10]

So slow. The list of airports is kind of pathetic too. I need Austin, both Dallas airports, both Chicago airports, Minneapolis, and St Louis.

Agreed, and the list isn’t even correct. I fly through CID somewhat regularly and the TSA people have zero knowledge of the feature, despite there being a poster advertising it less than five feet away from their station.

The reader appears to exist but it doesn’t do anything and the agent snapped at me when I said my license was on my phone.

 

[CarAnalogy]

That is a PDF417 barcode. It tells you what is on the front, but provides no validation mechanism (you could create a bogus license and create what ever you want in the barcode). The entire point of a digital license is that it be verifiable to anyone scanning it. Without that capability, they may as well just allow use of pictures of your license.

And the sad thing is that nobody out in the world understands this. You can take the same Wallet app and pay for groceries and no one blinks an eye, but if you try to do the exact same thing at the same time to verify age (Face ID authentication and all) they act like it's ridiculous and of course I can't just accept this picture on your phone.

The credit card isn't just a picture on the phone, but they just can't (or maybe aren't officially allowed to) make that connection yet.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Agreed, and the list isn’t even correct. I fly through CID somewhat regularly and the TSA people have zero knowledge of the feature, despite there being a poster advertising it less than five feet away from their station.

The reader appears to exist but it doesn’t do anything and the agent snapped at me when I said my license was on my phone.

That reader is also notoriously unreliable. But if they did snap, file a complaint with TSA, they’re actually quite good at addressing this stuff. My TSA at my airport actually are very friendly, but ones at SFO, ouch.

Leave it to the government to install garbage technology.

 

[rjp1]

Last time I went through MEM they had signs up saying TSA now accepts digital ID's (and that it was optional to use). It doesn't look like that is updated on their website though.

 

[EBone12355]

Add San Diego International Airport (SAN) to the list accepting the Digital IDs. There are signs about it all over the airport.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Still a worthless addition. Doesn’t work where one needs an ID. IE. a bar, liquor store, says it works in airports but I’ve been denied multiple times at supposed “participating” airports. Doesn’t work for law enforcement interactions, applying for something where an ID is needed and the list goes on. Worthless.

 

[dweebe]

Please do not try to show digital IDs as proof of age to buy alcohol unless it’s clearly stated that the business will accept them. And don’t yell at the bartender/waiter/cashiers that tells you they are required to see physical IDs.

I’m tired of getting yelled at by people with digital IDs or pictures of their drivers license.

 

[subjonas]

We've had it in Georgia for a while now, and the ONLY place it works is the airport. 0 businesses will accept it. It's pretty pointless.

You can’t expect quick widespread replacement of physical ID which has been around since… forever. It will be a drawn out process, but it has to start somewhere, so it’s not pointless.

 

[mlenger]

I live in California and had it since day one. Some airports accept it. Nowhere else did it prove useful. Not for alcoholic purchases, banking or even traffic stops - although weirdly it’s issued by the DMV, so what exactly for is it, when the issuing agency don’t even accept it themself?