Iowa rolls out support for digital IDs in Wallet app

Those living in the Hawkeye State can now add their driver's license or state ID to Apple Wallet for use at TSA checkpoints, venues, and businesses.

On Wednesday, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that state residents could now add their state identification cards to their iPhone via the wallet app. The move makes the state the latest to join Apple's ID program.

Iowa DOT also points out that businesses can accept digital IDs via iOS apps like Tap2iD Mobile, VeriScan, and Mobile ID Verify.

In September, California became the eighth state to begin rolling out support for IDs in the Wallet app.

The first state, however, was Arizona, adding in support all the way back in May of 2022.

Maryland also joined up in May 2022. Colorado signed on to the program in November 2022.

Georgia followed suit in May 2023, allowing those living The Peach State to add their IDs to the app. In July 2024, Ohio became the fifth state to support IDs in the Apple Wallet app.

Hawaii is currently in the process of rolling out support for digital IDs, a process that began in August 2024.

AppleInsider and many state Departments of Transportation would like to remind you that a digital ID does not replace your physical license or identification card. Many locations will still require you to present a physical ID card, so it's wise to still carry it whenever you can.

6 Comments

iOS_Guy80 905 comments · 5 Years

About 1 month ago

Let’s go New York what are you waiting for?

boxcatcher 275 comments · 9 Years

Has anyone seen the app used to request / validate these?

Like what is a grocery store clerk supposed to use when someone goes to buy wine?

pjohnt 34 comments · 14 Years

Since TSA inserts your card ID into a reader at most airports now how would this be used by them? I'm guessing it can't.

apple4thewin 321 comments · 3 Years

Still waiting for Florida

mpantone 2254 comments · 18 Years

boxcatcher said:

Has anyone seen the app used to request / validate these?

Like what is a grocery store clerk supposed to use when someone goes to buy wine?

Disclaimer: I can only speak based on my personal experience with the CA DMV Wallet app. It is extremely unlikely that anyone will be able to provide an in-depth comparison between the implementations by various states.

The CA DMV Wallet app that a civilian uses to upload and register for a digital ID is also a mCDL reader. You scan the QR code presented by someone else's CA DMV Wallet app. There are various checks (Minor Check, Over 18, Over 21; Over 25; a Senior one). For sure a network connection will be required so the app can consult the California DMV's database for digital ID validity.

Is it highly improbable that a supermarket chain would assign smartphones to cashiers. For sure there is some sort of API for these digital IDs. That would need to be incorporated in the store's POS system. The NFC contactless POS terminal (like a Verifone touchpad) would need software support. Theoretically you'd touch your phone to the POS terminal's NFC scanner which would then query the DMV's digital ID database to verify age and the grocery store's POS software would flash some sort of approval message to the cashier.

The last paragraph of the AppleInsider article specifically mentions that a digital ID does not remove the necessity to carry around a physical card. Just because you have a digital driver's license doesn't automatically open doors for you. The other party must accept digital IDs and have the correct systems set up.

In any case, if the system goes down, you can still use a physical driver's license to verify age/identity. Waving around a digital DMV QR code without the proper reader is useless, since a screenshot can be faked. Quite a few naive fools have discovered that having a photo of your ID on your smartphone isn't a legitimate form of identification, whether it be at a nightclub, buying booze or cigarettes, during the pandemic, etc.

This is the same as using your phone as a digital wallet. It is entirely the merchant's call whether or not to accept smartphone payment systems. Sometimes the NFC contactless POS terminal has faulty hardware. And yet, Apple Pay has gone down more than once. You still need some other form of payment whether it be a physical credit card or cash. Anyone who thinks they can leave their physical credit cards and physical driver's license at home is a clueless nitwit.

The main reason for having digital IDs and digital credit cards is not for consumer convenience. It is for anti-fraud purposes. It protects the consumer (not having your credit card information skimmed surreptitiously) as well as the business (not processing transaction from stolen or faked cards).

As to California implementation, here in late October 2024 I consider this to be early beta stage. The system is extremely unreliable. I was able to apply for a digital ID which was eventually issued a week later. The CA DMV App requires you to refresh the digital ID every ten days. Well, I tried today and it failed. I also tried to log into the CA DMV App on a secondary iPhone. That also failed, the phone attempts to register the device token, but it never finishes the process, it just goes forever.

There's an option to contact the CA DMV customer support desk but if you've ever dealt with the California DMV, that's unappealing at best. My plan is just to abandon the digital driver's license and try again in a year or two. It's certainly not ready for primetime and I've never been offered any opportunity to use it.

My guess is that digital IDs might be better handled in a country that issues national identification cards, maybe one of the European countries or one of the southeast Asian countries (Japan, South Korea come to mind). I have not seen anything like this yet during my last trips in the past three months so my guess is that a reliable digital ID system is still several years away. With individual US states issuing their own driver's license, each implementation will be slightly different. For sure some will be better than others, some states' servers will be more secure, more reliable, faster, etc.

The US passport agency in conjunction with the US DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and CBP (Customs & Border Protection) might be the first US government agency that rolls out better support. They are now heavily using biometric face scans for identification purposes. Two-factor authentication combining biometric and digital identification would be an increase in security. Again, it's not about convenience. You still need to carry your passport for international travel.

If Iowa DOT's computer systems go down, at least airport security can still look at a government issued card or passport and wave you through. If you only have a phone, guess what? You are not getting on that airplane. You get to go back home, grab your physical ID and return to the airport. It's only a matter of time before the media reports of some fool(s) who learned the hard way.