Google and Apple have been interested in supporting government-issued IDs in their mobile payment apps for several years at this point. Android 13 will require new devices to support secure storage of IDs, but Apple has now beat Google to the punch. Residents of the U.S state of Arizona can now store their driver's license and/or state ID in the Wallet app on iPhone, becoming the first government to roll out the functionality.

Apple announced in a blog post, "Starting today, Arizonans can add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet, and tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to seamlessly and securely present it at select TSA security checkpoints in Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport." The process involves taking photos of the front and back of your ID with the Wallet app, then capturing a photo of your face for authorization from Arizona's Motor Vehicle Services (similar to DMVs in other states).

Keeping your state IDs in Wallet is mostly for convivence, as it means many people won't have to carry around a physical wallet (or the ID slipped into the phone's case) at all times in addition to an iPhone. However, Apple is also making the argument that digitally-stored IDs are safer. Apple said, "driver’s license and state ID in Wallet presents only the information needed for the interaction, and the user has the opportunity to review and authorize the information being requested before it is shared. Additionally, driver’s license and state ID in Wallet is presented digitally through encrypted communication directly between the device and the identity reader, so users do not need to show or hand over their device."

You'll need an iPhone 8 or later running iOS 15.4 to set up driver's licenses and state IDs in Wallet, and if you want them on your watch, you'll need an Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 8.4 or later. Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and Puerto Rico plan to roll out the functionality to their residents in the near future, with Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah also planning to support it at some point.

Source: Apple

Note: The author of this article owns stock in Apple. This does not impact the opinions stated here.