ID in Apple Wallet Taking Off at Phoenix Airport

Image via Apple Newsroom

24 MARCH 20220 - Ready or not, official IDs in Apple Wallet have gone live in their first state. A piece from Engadget says, “Arizona residents can add their driver's license or state ID to Wallet on their iPhone or Apple Watch.” And they can use it almost nowhere. They’re currently being accepted at “certain TSA checkpoints” at the Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, according to the report. The whole thing sounds as easy as 1, 2, 8. According to the report:

In Wallet on your iPhone, you can add a driver's license or state ID by scanning the card, taking a selfie and making head movements to prove the identification is yours. When it's time to present your info to the TSA, you'll provide consent through Face ID or Touch ID. The TSA will also take your photo to verify cards. 

Or you could show them your ID. Actually, Apple says this will be safer. Engadget says:

Apple maintains that cards in Wallet can be more secure than their real-world counterparts. You only share necessary info, and you don't need to show your device to an official. All driver's license and state ID data is sent over an encrypted connection, and the requirement for biometric authentication should prevent others from viewing your sensitive details.

If I sound suspicious, forgive. I am not distrustful of the technology. I can’t help wondering, though, about what happens the first time an officer of the law says, “something’s not working. Let me see your phone.”