Update November 19: This feature is now live. Illinois residents can now head to the Wallet app to add their licenses. Original story below.
Apple Wallet support for digital driver’s licenses and state IDs continues to expand. Now, Illinois has officially announced that starting tomorrow, iPhone users will be able to add their driver’s license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app for digital access.
With the addition of Illinois, support for this feature is available in 13 states, along with Puerto Rico.
Apple Wallet driver’s license support in Illinois
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias made the announcement today. Starting tomorrow, Illinois residents will be able to open the Wallet app on their iPhone and add their driver’s license in just a few short steps.
You’ll need to take a photo of your license and complete a Face ID-style scan, then wait a few minutes for your identity to be verified.
Once you have your license in Apple Wallet, you can use it in-person, online, and in-apps at select businesses. This includes TSA checkpoints at over 250+ airports in the US, including O’Hare, Midway, and Lambert.
Apple does not publish a full list of businesses that accept mobile driver’s licenses. You can find more details on where you can use Apple Wallet digital driver’s licenses here.
Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, touted the launch in a new statement today:
“Driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet bring users one step closer towards replacing the physical wallet with an easy, secure and private digital wallet, and we’re thrilled to bring this to Illinoisans today. The launch of Illinois driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet makes everyday moments even more seamless — whether you’re traveling through airport checkpoints this holiday season, grabbing a drink at a restaurant, and more— all while keeping users’ information secure and private.
The expansion of mobile ID support in Wallet to Illinois comes following Apple’s launch of Digital ID in Wallet last week. The two features coexist in the Wallet app:
Digital ID: Available to anyone in the United States with a passport
Mobile driver’s license or state ID: Available in select states and Japan
Both can be used at TSA checkpoints at over 250+ airports in the US. Mobile driver’s licenses can be used at additional businesses and organizations. Apple says that “additional Digital ID acceptance use cases” will arrive “in the future.”
Have you added your driver’s license to Apple Wallet or created a Digital ID with your passport? Let us know down in the comments.
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