The Apple Wallet has been digitizing our travel experience for years. We can tap our iPhones and Apple Watches to pay for our cab to the airport and our snacks at Hudson News. It has replaced boarding passes and hotel room keys.
Now we’re getting digital passports. But, for now at least, you can’t use it for international travel. (Passport stamps, on the other hand, are going quick.)
Last month, Apple debuted the Digital ID, a feature that allows users to securely upload their passport information to their Apple Wallets to use at airport security in lieu of presenting a physical ID card.
The feature — which is in beta — comes three years after the company rolled out digital driver’s licenses and state IDs, and it is now available at more than 250 U.S. airports.
You can only use it for domestic travel in certain states, but it may streamline your security check, particularly if you have procrastinated on getting a Real ID.
Here’s what to know.
What is a Digital ID?
Digital ID is a way to add your passport to your Apple Wallet so you can use it as an ID for travel (and other uses, such as age verification at a bar). It can’t be used for international travel.
Once the Digital ID is activated — which requires taking photos of your physical passport, as well as a few selfies — users can present their iPhone or Apple Watch in lieu of a physical ID at airport security checkpoints in participating states.
You don’t need to unlock your device, or even hand it over to a Transportation Security Administration officer, to use it. You just tap your device at the TSA ID verification terminal.
“This new solution will provide enhanced security, significant privacy protections, and seamlessness for passengers who choose to opt-in,” TSA senior counselor to the administrator Cary Sharrett said in an email.
Because the Digital ID is created with your passport, it meets TSA’s new ID requirements. That means you could use it to avoid the $45 verification charge if you haven’t gotten a Real ID yet, or if you don’t want to bring a valid alternative (such as your physical passport).
Apple’s Digital ID is only available to use on Apple devices, such as the iPhone and Apple Watch. But Android users can upload a comparable digital ID to Google Wallet, and Samsung also has its own wallet.
Some states — including California, New York and Virginia — have released their own mobile ID apps as well. Check the TSA website to see which options are available in which states.
Where can I use it?
Digital IDs can be used at more than 250 airports across the U.S., including Puerto Rico. The TSA website has a running listof participating states and issuing authorities.
But even if you’re traveling through a state where digital IDs are eligible, TSA says travelers should always carry a physical, acceptable form of ID — you may be asked to produce one to confirm your identity.
Faith Bradley, at professor of information systems and technology management at George Washington University School of Business — whose doctoral dissertation focused on Real ID implementation — also encourages people to always have their IDs on them just in case your phone or Apple Watch dies or you encounter an official who hasn’t been trained on the technology.
She has encountered hurdles trying to use her Digital ID in different scenarios, once at an airport and another time after a minor car accident in a state where digital driver’s licenses are approved for official use.
“I wanted to show my driver’s license on my phone, and the police officer said ‘That’s not acceptable,’” Bradley said.
In both situations, she ended up needing her physical ID.
Is it safe to put my passport on my phone?
Bradley is skeptical of the security of all digital wallets in general, pointing to the ongoing risk of cyberattacks.
Apple said in a news release that Digital ID is encrypted to guard against tampering and theft; your passport information is stored on your device and can only be accessed using biometric authentication by way of Face ID or Touch ID. The company can’t see when or where you’re using the ID, or what data is presented. Apple declined a request for an interview.
Google also says their wallet makes sure your ID “is stored and encrypted so it stays secure,” and Samsung says it uses “several special security methods, like tokenization, to secure your personal and financial information.”
How to add it
Adding your Digital ID is similar to adding a payment method to your Apple Wallet. You will need your physical passport handy to take photos of both the ID page and the back flap (which contains an embedded microchip), and you will need to shoot several selfies at different angles.
Make sure to take them with a clean background, without anyone else in the shot. For more details on the process, visit the Apple website.
How to use it
When you arrive at the airport, follow your usual routine and head to the security checkpoint lanes (PreCheck or standard). Instead of pulling out your physical ID, open your phone wallet and tap it to TSA’s ID verification machine, the same way you would tap your device to a cashier’s credit card terminal at a grocery store.
You don’t have to unlock your device, or even show it to the officer. The TSA agent will take your photo to compare with the image stored in your digital wallet. Then you will be waved through to the X-ray portion of security.
The digital wallet may shave off a few moments from your security experience, or save you from that Real ID fee. For an even faster way to get through security, you can enroll in TSA PreCheck Touchless ID, a biometric program being rolled out across the country, with select airlines.
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