Residents of Arizona will now be able to use their iPhones and Apple Watches as their drivers' licenses and state ID using Apple Wallet, Apple has announced. The move comes after Apple previously stated they were seeking to integrate smartphones with identification for everyday life and travel, and marks the first state in the US to allow the digital versions.  

“We’re thrilled to bring the first driver’s license and state ID in Wallet to Arizona today, and provide Arizonans with an easy, secure, and private way to present their ID when traveling, through just a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, in a statement. 

“We look forward to working with many more states and the TSA [Transport Security Administration] to bring IDs in Wallet to users across the US.” 

The announcement comes after multiple states signed up for Apple’s proposal back in September, including Utah, Georgia, and Maryland. Apple now claims that even more states have joined the scheme, with Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and the territory of Puerto Rico all allowing Apple Wallet IDs and drivers’ licenses soon.  

The TSA will now allow Wallet IDs to be used for travel at selected airports to trial the new system.

Once the user has added their ID to the phone, they can simply tap the device on the TSA identity reader, which will bring up a prompt showing what the TSA is requesting. Users can even consent to the sharing of biometric data, such as fingerprint and Face ID, so that the phone doesn’t need to be unlocked. 

While it may seem a security concern, Apple claim that all communications between the phone and the TSA system will be encrypted and Find My iPhone allows users to remotely lock the device in case of losing it.