Apple to Let iPhone Owners Store Their ID’s on Apple Wallets
Quick question, where do you keep your IDs and driver’s license? Most probably in your wallets! But where do you keep your cash? With the advancement in technology, many people have turned to use their Apple Wallets as an alternative to physical wallets.
Here comes the real question, how many of you wished to get rid of the burden in your pockets completely by somehow shifting your IDs to your iPhone as well? Well, you must have heard of the common phrase: where there is a wish, there is an Apple feature to fulfill it!
A Mind-Boggling Feature
What’s more exciting than watching your favorite show on Spectrum cable? Apple’s innovations! No kidding, it seriously is! You know, it has been a month since Apple announced the first eight states which will accommodate driver’s licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet. Adding their driver’s licenses and state IDs to their Apple Wallets will allow them to digitize the security checks at nominated airports. This will result in completely doing away with the concept of physical identification cards. While this feature is limited to airport security use only at the moment, there is no telling what the future holds.
This new feature will first be introduced in Arizona and Georgia in Fall 2021. The residents of Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah will be next in line to avail this facility.
A Seamless and Secure Experience
For now, Apple has partnered with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). It will allow designated airport security checkpoints in nominated airports to accept the digital data. The medium of which will either be Apple Wallet or Apple Watch. Jennifer Bailey, the Vice-president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, seems happy with the decision. She states the new feature ‘a valuable step in Apple’s vision of replacing the physical wallets with secure and safe-to-use mobile wallets.’ Jennifer also notifies that Apple is holding meetings with several other states, with an initiative to scale this service of digitized IDs and driver’s licenses at a global level.
The TSA Ambassador David Pekoske also sounds happy with this innovation in the widely accepted Apple Wallet. He says that travelers will benefit from a security screening experience at the airport which would be more seamless thanks to this innovative project. Furthermore, he adds that the project has helped TSA extend the range of touchless TSA airport screening options. He thus calls it a significant step for TSA in providing a higher level of convenience to travelers.
Apple achieved what it had promised in June when it first announced the digital IDs at its Worldwide Developer Conference. At the WWDC, Jennifer Bailey had stated that residents of participating the US States would be able to store their ID information in their Apple Wallets by simply scanning their documents.
How the Process Works
Here is a peek at how the process of uploading your driver’s license and state ID in your Apple Wallet and using it for security confirmations works:
Digitizing Your State ID and Driver’s License
- Firstly, you will have to take a picture of your driver’s license and add it to your Apple Wallet. The process is similar to how you add your credit cards to the Wallet.
- You will then have to take a selfie, which the issuing authority will use for verification.
- After that, you will have to complete a sequence of facial and head movements as a security attempt. You will then find your driver’s license and state ID added to your Wallet.
Presenting Your Digitized ID and Driver’s License to the TSA
- To achieve touchless security screening, you will have to present your digitized ID or driver’s license to the TSA. You can do so by accessing it via your iPhone or Apple Watch.
- You will then have to authorize the documents’ reveal using Touch or Face ID.
- You can then share your information with the airport security authorities, and the process will come to an end.
The Intriguing Factor
The new digitized Apple feature has been lauded by many. However, several disturbances and some valid concerns regarding the potential privacy abuse have been observed. Apple has efficiently addressed these concerns in its press release. The company declares that neither Apple nor the issuing state will be able to track the users’ whereabouts through their digitized IDs.
Furthermore, the app’s built-in security settings will fully encrypt the users’ personal identity data. Biometric authentication is another feature that adds another layer of protection to the users’ ID and driver’s license. It will ensure that only the concerned party can access the data using either Face or Touch ID.
And that’s not all! The users will neither have to grant access or physically hand their devices to the screening authorities. This will result in eliminating the risk of tampering and theft.
Conclusion
The security declaration by Apple has eased a lot of restless minds. However, there are still revolve numerous concerns regarding potential ID tracking and data hacking. Will this new feature prove beneficial, or will it prove a threat to personal data? Only time will tell!