Apple has a plan to make users’ lives digital in every way - that includes all those pesky cards you may have overflowing your real leather wallet, that one that won’t fit into the back pocket of your pants. The Apple Wallet stores users’ credit and debit cards, transit passes and boarding passes, as well as other important documents and information to their phones.
Now, Apple plans to take that goal one step further by adding an iPhone user’s driver’s license or state ID to the app. And while customers may be glad to get through the TSA checkpoints in Sky Harbor International Airport without having to fiddle through their wallet or purse, they will not be able to use them at regular traffic stops.
The trillion-dollar tech behemoth has plans to expand their new app feature beyond the state of Arizona, with states like Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, Georgia, Maryland, Connecticut and Puerto Rico on the horizon. The introduction of the feature comes after two years of research and development, according to reports.
To use this feature, Arizona residents will be able to tap the “+” button in the Wallet app, then add the driver’s license feature which will then prompt them to upload their physical driver’s license and take a selfie as proof, with additional anti-fraud steps asking the user to complete a series of facial movements during the set-up process.
Similar to Apple Pay, which allows people to pay for items simply by tapping their phones, users will not have to unlock their phones to use their digital ID. The TSA reader will scan a person’s face and capture their image, similar to how TSA agents look at a person’s face to verify their identity.
The feature will not be available to view by bartenders though, so if you forgot your wallet at home you may have no luck getting a gin fizz at the neighborhood juke joint or a pint of beer at the local brewery.
While the divide between analog and digital continues to blur, Apple must still answer to state governments to get this feature up and running nationwide. The feature will not be available for use in federal buildings.
Apple will also face questions concerning their digital ID technology, as well as what data will be made available to state governments.
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