You Can Put Your Driver's License on Your iPhone. Here's How - CNET

From Southwest to United, astir airlines let you to question with a integer mentation of your boarding pass. And now, immoderate states are letting residents wide airdrome information with a integer mentation of their driver's license, too. Rather than basal done your bag, each you person to bash is flash your Apple Wallet connected your iPhone oregon Apple Watch.

"The summation of driver's licenses and authorities IDs to Apple Wallet is an important measurement successful our imaginativeness of replacing the carnal wallet with a unafraid and easy-to-use mobile wallet," Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, said in a connection successful 2021.

It's not rather a cosmopolitan game-changer yet: While 12 states person committed to integer IDs, lone 3 person officially started accepting them. And portion the airdrome you depart from mightiness judge a licence connected your Apple Watch, you mightiness not beryllium extended the aforesaid courtesy connected the instrumentality trip.

Read more: Homeland Security Postpones Deadline for Real ID astatine Airports

The Transportation Security Administration is already supporting the exertion astatine prime airdrome information checkpoints. So it's truly a question of when, not if the enactment volition becomes modular nationwide.

Here's what you request to cognize astir putting your driver's licence successful your Apple Wallet, including however to bash it and which states admit integer IDs. For much connected travel, cheque retired the eleven things that should beryllium connected everyone's question checklist and the quality betwixt TSA PreCheck and Global Entry.

How bash I adhd my driver's licence to my Apple Wallet?

To adhd a ID to your Apple Wallet, pat the "plus" fastener astatine the apical of the screen.

Dan Avery/CNET

Apple built the exertion to upload your ID to your Apple Wallet into iOS 15 for the iPhone. The process is akin to however you would adhd a caller recognition card.

First, pat the "plus" fastener astatine the apical of the surface successful Wallet. (If you person an Apple Watch paired to your iPhone, it volition inquire you astir adding your licence there, arsenic well.)

You'll past scan your carnal driver's licence with your iPhone's camera and instrumentality a selfie, "which volition beryllium securely provided to the issuing authorities for verification," according to Apple.

You'll besides beryllium asked to implicit a bid of look and caput movements "as an further information step."

Once your ID has been verified by the authorities that issued it, it volition beryllium added to your Wallet.

To beryllium capable to adhd your licence oregon ID to Apple Wallet, it volition request to beryllium issued from a participating state. In addition, you'll need:

• An iPhone 8 oregon later, oregon an Apple Watch Series 4 oregon later, with the latest mentation of iOS oregon WatchOS
• Face ID oregon Touch ID turned on
• An Apple ID with two-factor authentication turned on
• Your instrumentality portion acceptable to the US

For now, lone residents of Arizona, Colorado and Maryland tin upload their licenses.

Dan Avery/CNET

Also, lone passengers with TSA PreCheck connected their boarding walk are eligible to flash integer licenses, according to the TSA website, though the bureau said it plans to adhd the enactment for different passengers successful the future.

Only 1 licence oregon ID tin beryllium added to an iPhone and paired Apple Watch astatine a time.

Which airports judge integer ID?

Right now, lone Arizona, Colorado and Maryland enactment the integer recognition diagnostic -- and lone astatine prime information checkpoints astatine these airports:

• Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
• Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah person each agreed to enactment the initiative, arsenic has Puerto Rico, though circumstantial timetables person not been announced.

Other states are expected to articulation this roster: Last twelvemonth Bailey said Apple was "already successful discussions with galore much states." 

And successful November, the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles said it was "exploring" the integer ID option. 

"There is simply a proviso that created a survey committee connected the thought and they are inactive undergoing research," spokeswoman Maranda Williams told The State, a Columbia, South Carolina, quality outlet.

Separate from Apple's efforts, immoderate states let residents to upload their driver's licenses to their phones done state-operated apps, similar Louisiana's LA Wallet. But these are for driving and property verification purposes and are not accepted by TSA yet.

Apple

How bash I usage a licence stored successful my Apple Wallet astatine TSA?

To contiguous your integer ID, pat your iPhone oregon Apple Watch connected the individuality scholar astatine the information checkpoint. 

You'll past beryllium prompted to authenticate your recognition with Face ID oregon Touch ID.

If it's successful, a checkmark should look connected the screen.

According to Apple, "you don't request to unlock, amusement oregon manus implicit your instrumentality [to a TSA agent]." 

Is this exertion secure?

"Your driver's licence oregon authorities ID information is encrypted," reads a statement on the Apple Support website. "Neither the authorities issuing authorization nor Apple tin spot erstwhile and wherever you usage your licence oregon ID, and biometric authentication utilizing Face ID and Touch ID helps marque definite that lone you tin presumption and usage your licence oregon ID."

The TSA has besides endorsed integer IDs.

"Digital individuality has the quality to fortify airdrome information and heighten the rider acquisition by reducing touchpoints, providing greater privacy, and verifying IDs much accurately," the bureau said successful a statement.

My authorities accepts integer IDs. Do I inactive request my carnal licence astatine the airport?

Yes. The programme is inactive successful its infancy, and there's nary warrant the checkpoint you usage volition beryllium acceptable up to judge a driver's licence connected your Apple Wallet.

"All passengers indispensable proceed to person readily disposable their carnal driver's license," according to the Transportation Security Administration website. "The TSA serviceman whitethorn necessitate this carnal ID successful summation to the integer ID."

Where other tin I usage my integer ID?

With the rollout of iOS 16 successful June, apps that necessitate property oregon individuality verification should present beryllium capable to judge ID cards stored successful your Apple Wallet app, Apple said. Uber Eats and car-share work Turo were cited arsenic 2 apps that could perchance connection this functionality, according to MacRumors, but neither has officially done so.

I person an Android phone. Can I upload my ID to Google Wallet?

In a December 2022 strategy update, Google announced it was beta investigating allowing Android telephone users to upload their driver's licenses to Google Wallet "for convenient, backstage and unafraid presentation." 

Google said the diagnostic would beryllium disposable successful "selected US state(s)," it didn't bespeak which ones oregon when.