Roger Fingas
Students at Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University can now use an iPhone or Apple Watch in place of a physical ID card for getting around campus, as well as paying for university services.
Once activated, a digital "J-Card" ID appears in Apple's Wallet app, the Baltimore Sun said on Thursday. With "Express Mode" left on by default, all that's needed is to hold an iPhone or Watch next to a reader — no Face ID, Touch ID, passcode, or even waking or unlocking a device.
For extra security students can turn Express Mode off, resulting in an experience like Apple Pay. Apple's ID system lets students check their account info via Wallet, such as food and print amounts.
On campus, students will be able to do things like unlock doors, print at the library and buy items at the bookstore. Some off-campus businesses are participating in purchases as well, among them Chipotle, CVS and 7-Eleven.
Johns Hopkins is the fifth U.S. school to support Wallet IDs — the others are Duke, Temple, Santa Clara, and the Universities of Alabama and Oklahoma. That leaves many others to go, including every Ivy League institution.
Device requirements are relatively low, starting with only an iPhone 6 and/or an Apple Watch Series 1. Users must also download the eAccounts app.
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12 Comments
So is this for iPhone and Watch owners only or are Android users included? If it’s Apple only will there be claims of anti-competitive collusion between John Hopkins and Apple. I say this only with semi sarcasm because these days Apple seems to be in everybody’s crosshairs. So it wouldn’t surprise me if such a claim was made.
More universities will join this bandwagon. Less request from students for replacement ID. Win-win for everyone.
If I were a student, I would want 2 tiers of security. I’d be ok with express mode to open doors and such, but I would want biometrics for anything financial. No one should be able to drain my stored balance with just the phone.
Surely that hat could be coded in?
What about the poor, left out Samsung users? Is not Android the most popular mobile platform on planet Earth? Will they still need to use physical keys and ID badges? It sounds so anti-trust and monopolistic. Maybe the ITC should investigate immediately. Love the sarcasm!