Apple delays release of digital ID feature in Wallet app
Apple has delayed the release of a much-anticipated feature that will allow Americans to digitally store their identification cards - such as their driver's license or state ID - in the Apple Wallet app.
The company quietly updated its official iOS 15 website, as first noticed by MacRumors, to say the feature will now arrive sometime in early 2022.
First announced at WWDC 2021, Apple is working to offer the feature nationwide. Originally, the company planned to launch it in late 2021. Apple even said Arizona and Georgia would be the first states to offer the feature to residents. Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah are also planning to support it. Apparently, select TSA security checkpoints at US airports should accept digital IDs in the Wallet app.
To add your driver's license or state ID, you'll open the Wallet app on your phone, tap the plus sign at the top, and follow the on-screen steps. You will be required to take a photo of your face and complete a series of head movements during setup and for verification purposes.
Then, when you want to present your IDs to TSA security guards or whomever, you'll simply tap your iPhone or Apple Watch on an identity reader and then confirm your action with Face ID or Touch ID. No need to present your physical card. You won't even need to hand over your device.
To learn more about the now-delayed feature, see Pocket-lint's guide: