Arizona now allows driver's licenses to be stored digitally in Apple's Wallet app

Apple announced today that Arizona has become the first state to allow digital versions of its driver's license and state ID to be stored in the Apple Wallet app. This will make it faster and easier for the TSA to verify your identity when traveling by airplane.

Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, said, "We’re thrilled to bring the first driver’s license and state ID in Wallet to Arizona today, and provide Arizonans with an easy, secure, and private way to present their ID when traveling, through just a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch. We look forward to working with many more states and the TSA to bring IDs in Wallet to users across the US."

Soon, Apple says, other states will join Arizona including Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and the territory of Puerto Rico. Other states that will join the program include Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah. Even though the digital version of the license will reside on the iPhone's Wallet app, the company says it will not use the digitized cards to track your location.

To add a digital driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app, open the app and press the "+" icon at the top of the screen. Choose "Driver’s License or State ID," and follow the directions to complete the process. If you lose your device, you can use the Find My app to lock the phone or watch, help find it, or even wipe it.

To guarantee that the person adding his digital license or ID to the Wallet app is the same person that the card was issued to, the user will be asked to snap a selfie and scan the front and back of the driver's license or State ID which will be securely sent to the issuing state for verification. The user will also be asked to move their head and make certain facial movements during the setup process to verify their identity.

The state and not Apple is responsible for ultimately approving a user's request to have his driver's license or state ID added to the Wallet app. The feature is available on iPhone 8 or later running iOS 15.4 and on Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 8.4 or later.

The digital license can be used to verify your identity at the airport as the TSA's identity reader will accept it as identification from your iPhone or Apple Watch. Apple notes that "All information is shared digitally, so users do not need to show or hand over their device to present their ID. The TSA will also capture a picture of the traveler for verification purposes."