Apple’s announcement of the feature to store IDs in the Apple Wallet app at WWDC 2021 has been highly anticipated. Apple bills it as the last step before going “out of your wallet,” and although it’s only available in a few countries, more than 20 states are working to adopt digital citizen IDs. The TSA is currently conducting a pilot program to accept digital IDs at some airports, with Apple stating that the TSA is aiming to make airport security checkpoints the “first place to use your digital ID.” As of now, only four states have introduced support for digital IDs through Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch: Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, and Georgia. The full list includes Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. Territories Washington DC and Puerto Rico have also shown interest. The states of Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Texas were deleted from the list by the Secure Technology Alliance as they did not meet the requirements. The Alliance determines inclusion based on factors such as the availability of a compatible operating system, ongoing non-compliant implementation, regulatory testing and/or study work, and non-ISO compliant implementation. The progress of digital ID adoption varies among states and depends on the passing of supporting laws and events related to this adoption. Delays are to be expected when Apple collaborates with the government. Apple has reported that the following states are committed to supporting the implementation of digital IDs in Wallet: Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, and Oklahoma. The list differs from that of the Secure Technology Alliance, illustrating the complexities of this rollout. The Secure Technology Alliance website provides an interactive map with more information on the status of these negotiations in the United States and Canada. Follow Chance: Thread, Twitter, Instagram, and Mastodon. FTC: We use affiliate links to make money. More information.
