Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Ohio just became the fifth U.S. state to support digital driver’s licenses and IDs stored in the Wallet app on iPhone or Apple Watch. The major advantage is speeding up the process of moving through security checkpoints at airports.
The rollout of digital ID like this is going slowly, so the day when an iPhone can completely replace a physical wallet is still somewhere off in the misty future.
Ohio digital driver’s license: It’s here!
Tap-and-go payments with an iPhone or Apple Watch are close to replacing credit cards, but most people still need to carry around an old-fashioned plastic drivers license. But Apple is working toward making them obsolete. A handful of U.S. states have adopted driver’s licenses, and the list grew on Wednesday.
“Now Ohioans can choose to add their Ohio-issued Driver’s License or ID card to their mobile device,” said that state’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
This virtual card goes into Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch. Using it is as easy as holding the iPhone near an identity reader. The user must approve the transfer of their information, similar to approving a tap-and-go financial transaction.
Occasionally useful
While this is a step toward a completely digital wallet, there are significant limitations. As the Ohio BMV says, “Ohio Mobile ID does not replace your physical Ohio driver’s license or identification card and you must continue to carry your physical card.”
The bureau describes some of the uses of a digital ID, mentioning that it can be used with businesses and TSA airport security checkpoints that have the necessary mobile ID readers. There’s no mention of using them as identification with police.
As noted, Ohio is the fifth U.S. state to support Apple’s digital ID initiative, first announced back in 2021. The previous ones are Arizona, Colorado, Georgia. and Maryland.