When Apple unveiled iOS 15 last year, it said the new mobile operating system would include the ability to add a driver’s license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch in participating U.S. states. Apple now says the feature is coming in early 2022.
Apple is in the process of preparing for the new feature, as MacRumors reports that in the second beta of iOS 15.4, which was released on Tuesday, a line of code states “Find out when your driver’s license or state ID is ready to use and get important updates about your ID.”
In September, Apple announced that Arizona and Georgia would be the first states to introduce the feature to residents, with Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah to follow. Other states like Colorado, Delaware, Florida, and Louisiana already offer their own digital ID apps and could be modified to work with Apple on Wallet app integration.
Select TSA security checkpoints in participating U.S. airports will be the first locations where customers can show their mobile driver’s license or state ID in the Wallet app. More information will be shared at a later date as to when and where mobile driver’s licenses and IDs will be supported.
Once a participating state begins offering this capability to its residents, customers will be able to add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet and simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to present it to the TSA, without taking out their physical card or handing over their device.
Apple is already in discussions with many more U.S. states as part of its plan to offer the feature nationwide in the future, says Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.
While the new iOS 15.4 beta contains the blurb mentioned above, the ability to actually add a driver’s license or state ID to the Wallet app has not been enabled. However, the feature could be fully enabled in an upcoming beta or in the public release, which is expected in the near future.
