Apple has officially launched the highly-anticipated new Digital ID feature in Apple Wallet. The feature was first announced at WWDC and is now rolling out to everyone in the United States.
Apple’s implementation of Digital ID is powered by your US passport. Here’s how it works and where you can use it.
How to create Digital ID in Wallet with your passport
The setup process is similar to adding a driver’s license to Wallet:
Open the Wallet app on your iPhone.
Tap the Add (+) button in the upper-right corner.
Choose “Driver’s License or ID Cards” from the list of options.
Tap “Digital ID” and follow the on-screen steps.
Through the setup process, you’ll be asked to take a picture of your passport, as well as to use your iPhone to read the chip embedded on the back of your passport. Then, you’ll take a selfie for verification and complete a set of facial and head movements to further confirm your identity. Within a few minutes, your verification should be complete and your Digital ID will appear in the Apple Wallet app on your iPhone.
Apple also touts that all of this is done in a secure and private way. This includes the process of adding and verifying your Digital ID, as well as actually using that Digital ID.
Like all IDs in Apple Wallet, Digital ID takes advantage of the privacy and security features already built into iPhone and Apple Watch to help protect against tampering and theft. Digital ID data is encrypted. When users create a Digital ID, their passport data is stored on the device. Apple cannot see when and where users present their ID or what data was presented. Biometric authentication using Face ID or Touch ID also ensures that only the owner of the Digital ID can present it.
Only the information needed for a transaction is presented, and the user has the opportunity to review and authorize the information being requested with Face ID or Touch ID before it is shared. Users do not need to unlock, show, or hand over their device to present their ID.
For example, typically when you hand over your physical ID to verify your age or identity the other person can see far more information than what they actually need. They can see your address, personal information like height and eye color, and more.
With Digital ID in Apple Wallet, only the absolutely necessary information is shared.
This isn’t necessarily a digital version of your passport. It’s a Digital ID created using verification from your passport, but it’s not a direct replacement for carrying a physical passport.
Finally, the Digital ID feature works regardless of whether you have a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID.
Where can you use Digital ID in Apple Wallet?
The next obvious question, of course, is about acceptance of Digital ID in Wallet. Apple says that acceptance is rolling out first at TSA checkpoints at more than 250 airports in the United States. The feature works for domestic travel only, so if you’re flying internationally you’ll need to make sure you have your physical identification.
To present Digital ID in person, users can double-click the side button or Home button to access Apple Wallet and select Digital ID. From there, they can hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near an identity reader, review the specific information being requested, and use Face ID or Touch ID to authenticate.
Apple says that “additional Digital ID acceptance use cases” will arrive “in the future.” This will include select businesses and organizations, as well as the ability to verify your age and identity using Apple Wallet online and in your favorite apps. For example, you’ll be able to verify your age in Uber Eats for alcohol purchases using your Digital ID.
Here’s Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet:
“With the launch of Digital ID, we’re excited to expand the ways users can store and present their identity — all with the security and privacy built into iPhone and Apple Watch. Since introducing the ability to add a driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet in 2022, we’ve seen how much users love having their ID right on their devices. Digital IDs brings this secure and convenient option to even more users across the country, as they can now add an ID to Wallet using information from their U.S. passport.”
Support for creating a Digital ID in Wallet coexists alongside the ability to add your driver’s license to Wallet in select states. While the Digital ID feature is available to anyone with a passport in the US., the driver’s license and state ID support is available in 12 states and Puerto Rico.
9to5Mac’s Take
This is a huge step forward for acceptance of Digital ID solutions in the United States. In particular, I think this is a clever solution by Apple to work around the slow adoption of mobile driver’s licenses by US states. Now, everyone with a passport can create a Digital ID in Apple Wallet, regardless of what their state does.
You can head to the Apple Wallet app on your iPhone today to begin the process of adding your Digital ID. Let us know how it goes down in the comments.
Note that the feature is rolling out via a server-side update, so it might take awhile to hit your iPhone.
My favorite iPhone accessories:
Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
