8 States to Allow Digital Driver's Licenses in Apple's Wallet

Arizona and Georgia will be the first states to offer residents the ability to add their driver’s license or state Identification to Apple Wallet on an iPhone or Watch, said the tech company Wednesday. Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma and Utah will offer it next. The Transportation Security Administration will enable select airport security checkpoints in participating airports as locations where customers can use their driver’s license or state ID in Wallet, Apple said.

Once a license or state ID is added to Wallet, travelers can present it at TSA checkpoints by tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch at the identity reader. They will be prompted to share required information after being authorized with Face ID or Touch ID. That ensures “just the required information is shared and only the person who added the driver’s license or state ID to the device can present it,” Apple said. Driver’s licenses and state IDs in Wallet are presented digitally through encrypted communication directly between the device and the identity reader, so users don't need to unlock, show or hand over their device.

Apple and the issuing states won’t know when or where users present their IDs, said the company, due to privacy and security technology built into iPhone and Watch. Customers’ identity data is encrypted “and protected against tampering and theft,” and biometric facial and touch authentication ensures that “only the person who added the ID to the device can view or present their ID or license in Wallet.”

Users who misplace a device can use the Find My app to lock the device and help locate it, or remotely erase a device, Apple said. Its mobile ID implementation supports the ISO 18013-5 mDL (mobile driver’s license) standard, which Apple helped develop; the standard offers guidelines for the industry around protecting consumers’ privacy when presenting an ID or driver’s license through a mobile device. Participating states and the TSA will share more information later about when support for mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs in Wallet will be available in each state and at which TSA airport security checkpoints and select lanes it will be available first, Apple said.

Elsewhere, Apple said Tuesday it bought classical music streaming service Primephonic and plans to launch a dedicated classical music app next year combining Primephonic’s user interface. Apple Music subscribers will get a “significantly improved” classical music experience via playlists and exclusive content, said the company. Current Primephonic subscribers will receive six months free of Apple Music, it said.