iPhone Driver's License Feature Set to Expand to a 15th U.S. State

I just don’t see a clear use case for this. While I get wanting to remove things you carry, I would never want to hand my phone over to any law enforcement officer for the purposes of conveying my id. The physical analogy to that is like them asking for your ID and you give them your entire wallet and glove compartment.

I’ll stick with physical id.

As keeps getting pointed out whenever this comes up... that's not how this works, at all.

As keeps getting pointed out whenever this comes up... that's not how this works, at all.

They literally bring this up every time. At some point you’d think they’d start being embarrassed to rehash the same already-addressed point

15 states full of disappointed people who can't use this anywhere.
Me to TSA: "how often does the mDL work?"
TSA: "the what?"
Me: "digital driver's license?"
TSA: "this isn't the CLEAR/touchless lane."
Me <pointing at RFID scanner>: "this thing."
TSA: <shrugs> "about 20% of the time."

I would like my UK passport to be on my iPhone so I don't need a paper version.

No-one in the world has this. I do have my US passport on my iPhone (and watch) — paper version is still required for travel.

I have attempted to use it at 4 airports. All of them say that it's supported. Every single TSA agent was excited and said they'd been trained on it but had never had a single person try to do it. And it failed everytime.

This was my result December of last year (2025), I was flying out of Chicago O'Hare airport.

TSA agent motions me forward to them.

They have one of those COVID era plexiglass surrounds, around them. So for anyone that says they don't want to hand phone over, you couldn't hand them your phone. Even if the TSA agent wanted to, they couldn't grab your phone. They were entirely encase in plexiglass. No one is taking your phone. You are not giving your phone to anyone.

In front of their booth, in front of this plexiglass surround, is this little plastic protrusion with a sticker on it. Says something like "scan digital ID here" and has a graphic on it like the Wi-Fi logo (expanding waves).

With the iPhone in my hand, locked, screen off, I hold the iPhone to the logo. The phone screen turns on, displays my DL id card, performes Face-ID, thinks about things for a few seconds, then brings up a menu explaining that my ID will be shared with the TSA. It then prompts me to double click the phone lock button, if I want to confirm that I want to share it with the TSA. I do so.

I'm standing a bit off to the side so that I'm not in site of the camera. I wanted to know if they were going to ask for a photo. Obviously, it's part of my "physical" DL id record. (if you present your actual physical ID card and agree to the voluntary photo, the system is matching against that photo)

Anyway, the TSA agent looked at their computer screen. Scrolled something on its touch screen with their finger. Then seemingly motioned me on. I confirmed with them that I could proceed. They said, yes. No photo taken, that I was aware of and the iPhone remained locked and in my own possession.

When you look at my DL id in the Wallet app it now has a section labled "Latest Activity" and shows a clickable banner showing the interaction with TSA. Clicking upon it shows: Who it was (TSA), where this happened (Chicago, IL), the date and time it happened, lists out what was presented (as a catagory), and states "Info Presented and Not Store".

I just don’t see a clear use case for this. While I get wanting to remove things you carry, I would never want to hand my phone over to any law enforcement officer for the purposes of conveying my id. The physical analogy to that is like them asking for your ID and you give them your entire wallet and glove compartment.

I’ll stick with physical id.

Still don’t get the point of this.

Why would I want someone to collect biometric data, when all they are asking for is my ID?

Why would I want to give someone my phone, when all they are asking fornis my ID?

This just seems like such a bad idea on sooooooooo many levels…..and all for what? So you don’t have to carry a wallet? Only a fool would go out without a wallet. Phones die, break, run out of battery, get dropped, etc. Why would you ever put yourself in that position?

Do you guys hand over your phone to the cashier when making a payment via Apple Pay? If so, you’re doing it all wrong! You tap your phone to the payment terminal, don’t hand them your phone!

Exact same concept with digital IDs. Law enforcement will have a special NFC reader. You tap their device and the system will pull your info from the state’s servers. The states that have implemented this so far have made it very clear that you don’t hand over your phone, nor are they allowed to ask for it.