iPhone Driver's Licenses May Soon Expand to Another US State

[Astuces iOS]

Canada when?

 

[mattopotamus]

Legitimate question, does this constitute surrounding your device to law enforcement?

No. That is a common misconception. With that said, digital ID in this form is pretty useless. Airport and law enforcement are the only places where it is accepted, and even that may vary. You definitely should just carry your physical ID until it is universally accepted.

 

[repoman016]

Anecdotally, I have found that the general public has slowly become aware that this is a real thing.

I wouldn't (and hope not to have to) try it with law enforcement, but for simple age verification at grocery stores and such, people finally seem to recognize it and accept it.

It's just like Apple Pay at first, I had so many people so confused at what happened, but register says OK so they didn't have to know what it is. Now I see people use it and nobody bats an eye.

The way it's currently set up where you have to go in and display card information is clunky and could be better, but at least people seem to understand that it's not just a simple picture.

It would be nice if Apple could somehow integrate age verification into the Apple Pay process so one tap covers everything.

Of course that might lead to a lot of unintended consequences. But those seem to be coming anyway.

This could be true. The one time I showed the clerk at the liquor store and they looked at me confused like they've never seen that before in their life, then I proceeded to pull out my real ID and never used the phone since.

 

[Fallforward]

airports.

But I also have an assumption that this will be used in the future for digital age verification on website and apps

My recent TSA experience with some airports has been facial ID, just look at a tablet on a pedistal that shows your face like a selfie and go.

 

[Fallforward]

No. That is a common misconception. With that said, digital ID in this form is pretty useless. Airport and law enforcement are the only places where it is accepted, and even that may vary. You definitely should just carry your physical ID until it is universally accepted.

Doesn't it work only if the the other person such as a cop or bartender has a device that can read it? An under drinking age driver can have it, but it does not show your age. So just showing it on the screen does not help somebody like a bartender and - at least the version for my state - shows nothing on the screen that helps a cop.

 

[Fallforward]

This could be true. The one time I showed the clerk at the liquor store and they looked at me confused like they've never seen that before in their life, then I proceeded to pull out my real ID and never used the phone since.

I thnk they need to have a reader equipped to handle it. The process is much like using ApplePay.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Doesn't it work only if the the other person such as a cop or bartender has a device that can read it? An under drinking age driver can have it, but it does not show your age. So just showing it on the screen does not help somebody like a bartender and - at least the version for my state - shows nothing on the screen that helps a cop.

You can open it in wallet and click show details. It then does a Face ID scan and shows everything your ID does including color picture, and it even helpfully shows your exact age so nobody has to do any math. It’s actually a lot more secure than a physical card, but most people don’t know what just happened.

But no, cops and bartenders don’t have readers for them right now. Officially only the TSA does, as far as I know.

Edit: Someone said I'm wrong, but I've never seen one. Maybe in big cities.

 

[nutmac]

Still have not found a use-case for this where it would make life easier.

For a vast majority of the people, it's essentially going through the TSA line.

I was able to use it at Apple Store to pickup the repaired iPhone when I forgot to bring the driver's license.

Having said that, Apple, Google, and PoS terminals (e.g., Clover, Square, Toast) should make an app for businesses to validate the digital ID for things like age and local residence. And obviously, help the law enforcement agencies to adopt.

 

[indychris]

PA will adopt it once they figure out how they can tax it.

 

[IIGS User]

I don't know why PA doesn't show up on these lists ever. I know for a fact it's in the works.

Did you hear that over the drone the new tar and chip roads make, or via the echo from a pothole? LOL.

Life long PA resident here. Please tell me where you heard this was in the works. I love PA, but we frequently seem to be behind on stuff like this. This state has always had a certain degree of malfunction. Part of it's quirky charm I suppose.

Now, at least make the inspections bi annual for cars under a certain age, or eliminate the emissions test that pretty much no one fails anymore to make up for the bump in the gas tax.

And if your response doesn't somehow include a keystone, it never happened. 😉

 

[imola.zhp]

I'm from Oklahoma...

TikTok · Lewky____

www.tiktok.com

 

[ifxf]

Lets say you are in a rush to catch an early 6am flight so you forget your wallet on the table at home but you have your driver’s license on your iPhone, enabling you to get thru TSA and make your flight where it would’ve been impossible to drive home and back and still make it

I would say that’s a potential use case 😎

You can pass through TSA checkpoints without a license, it just takes additional steps to verify your ud.

 

[ifxf]

PA will adopt it once they figure out how they can tax it.

No, they will call it a fee.

 

[Alan Wynn]

Also, I thought I read on here that one state, GA maybe, was requiring all law enforcement to have equipment to accept these electronic licenses relatively soon (EOY 2027 maybe?). Kind of a chicken & egg thing. No sense to equip places to accept these until they are pretty common, but no sense in people signing up for one if you can't use it anywhere.

There are several other states that either allow it or will soon. Colorado and Wyoming are two that come to mind. Since states can tell how many people have activated them, the more of us that do so, the sooner we will not have to carry a piece of plastic.

 

[Alan Wynn]

But no, cops and bartenders don’t have readers for them right now. Officially only the TSA does, as far as I know.

Incorrect. Many (if not most) of the ID verification apps that clubs/bars use now support them. Colorado state police all have readers that can read them, as do police in several other jurisdictions. It will expand fairly rapidly over the next few years as all the new readers support them, so it will just be law changes that allow their use and then that mandate their acceptance. They are more secure, safer and better for users, so the faster we can use them everywhere, the better off we are.

 

[Alan Wynn]

You can pass through TSA checkpoints without a license, it just takes additional steps to verify your ud.

It now costs money if you do not have a Real ID certified ID. This is faster and free.

 

[TheVowelO]

still waiting on CT like 4 years later....

I was going to say the same thing. 😑

 

[CarAnalogy]

Incorrect. Many (if not most) of the ID verification apps that clubs/bars use now support them. Colorado state police all have readers that can read them, as do police in several other jurisdictions. It will expand fairly rapidly over the next few years as all the new readers support them, so it will just be law changes that allow their use and then that mandate their acceptance. They are more secure, safer and better for users, so the faster we can use them everywhere, the better off we are.

That’s cool for Colorado. Never seen anything like that in my (supported) state.

People here just got caught up with Apple Wallet. It’ll be a while.

I wonder if there’s a reason a whole lot of people in Colorado would want to verify their age frequently…

 

[mattopotamus]

Doesn't it work only if the the other person such as a cop or bartender has a device that can read it? An under drinking age driver can have it, but it does not show your age. So just showing it on the screen does not help somebody like a bartender and - at least the version for my state - shows nothing on the screen that helps a cop.

I don't think a single business has the tech to legally scan IDs, certainly not bars.

 

[Analog Kid]

Lets say you are in a rush to catch an early 6am flight so you forget your wallet on the table at home but you have your driver’s license on your iPhone, enabling you to get thru TSA and make your flight where it would’ve been impossible to drive home and back and still make it

I would say that’s a potential use case 😎

I hope your destination airport lets you through on the return!

 

[Justin Cymbal]

I hope your destination airport lets you through on the return!

Yes, and if you left it at home then your spouse or family member could probably just mail you your driver’s license to your hotel (or a local FedEx Office or UPS facility) near your destination (using their hold for pick up feature) so you could just pick it up before your return flight

Making your initial flight utilizing the most efficient way possible is obviously priority number one - in that moment

And if someone can’t mail your drivers license to your destination hotel and you DO happen to be in this kind of a situation in the future (I personally know people who have been) then I hope you get to your destination airport very early for your return flight to allow for them to let you board via this method:

https://www.tsa.gov/tsaconfirm-id ⬇️⬇️⬇️

You can pass through TSA checkpoints without a license, it just takes additional steps to verify your ud.

Yes, however this ⬆️ method takes significantly longer, costs $45 and if you are trying to catch a 6am flight ✈️ well, good luck!

Probably a better idea to have preemptively added (either a passport or driver’s license) to Apple Wallet in advance so you can get through TSA without filing out a lengthy questionnaire, bunch of paperwork etc etc - on top of paying the $45 fee that they now charge

Most people (who actually do forget their wallet at home) I would imagine, would probably be glad if they had their ID already accessible so they could just get to their gate that much quicker (over having to use a secondary and time consuming ID confirmation method)

250 airports now support this 🪪 method:

Participating States and Eligible Digital IDs | Transportation Security Administration

The TSA's digital ID program allows travelers from participating states to use mobile driver's licenses or state IDs at select TSA checkpoints. These digital IDs can be added to platforms like Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, or state-specific apps. The program aims to enhance security and...

www.tsa.gov

So hopefully this list keeps growing to eventually cover the entirety of the US!

 

[davidjmarks]

This would only be useful if you could send the ID to the cop that has pulled you over. I am loathe to give a cop my phone so he can go back to his car and while looking up my ID he can rummage through the phone.

 

[kissfan]

Still waiting for Florida, and I'm getting old...

The governor said ‘no’ to digital IDs.

 

[Justin Cymbal]

Colorado state police all have readers that can read them, as do police in several other jurisdictions. It will expand fairly rapidly over the next few years as all the new readers support them, so it will just be law changes that allow their use and then that mandate their acceptance. They are more secure, safer and better for users

Correct. If Georgia (not typically known to be the most high-tech government) has become one of the first jurisdictions to have already implemented this:

Can I Use A Digital ID During A Georgia Traffic Stop? Yes You Can - The Ticket Clinic Georgia | Trusted Traffic Ticket Lawyers & DUI Attorney

A new law enables drivers to use a digital ID in certain situations. We break down the law and the reasoning behind moving to digital ID in Georgia.

www.ticketclinicgeorgia.com

Then I would venture to guess that this rollout will continue to expand fairly rapidly

New Georgia law lets drivers use digital IDs during traffic stops | Here's how it works

Starting July 1, Georgia drivers can use digital IDs on their phones during traffic stops, offering a modern alternative to physical licenses.

www.13wmaz.com

This is government we are talking about here (as the biggest obstacle in the way of this rollout) government does not move fast (as is by design) so considering this digital ID concept first launched in 2022, I would consider it to be a significant success so far - considering a handful of states have adopted legislation in each year since 2022

No state (today) would even consider new legislation for this if they didn’t think there was a future in it - as something like this would probably be very far down on their list of priorities. The fact that it’s not, is an indication that digital IDs will probably have a future with much greater implementation and acceptance down the road. Apple knows that and is continuing to advocate for more states to get on board

The Apple Pay rollout (in 2014) was also very slow for a few years before it eventually took off. So this is to be expected and is indicative of it actually working

 

[dampfnudel]

I wish New York would join the party.