Apple's Digital ID Feature in iPhone Wallet Expanding to California

TapTechNews August 5th news, in 2021, Apple added "digital identity card" support to the iPhone Wallet app in the iOS15 system. Supported US residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the iPhone and Apple Watch Wallet apps. However, as of now, only Arizona, Maryland, Ohio, and Colorado officially support related functions.

Today, the California State Tax Authority announced that they are conducting a series of tests and plan to support the digital identity card function of the Apple Wallet app in the near future. However, the California State Tax Authority stated that the design of the related wallet ID is as a companion to the actual driver's license or ID, not a replacement. Users must continue to carry their physical driver's license or ID with them, and the ID in the iPhone device's wallet can only be used in scenarios such as TSA checkpoints at airports.

TapTechNews learned that Apple officially claims that the company's Wallet app "digital identity card" is more private, and the relevant information is said to be protected at the underlying level. For example, if a user wants to show their ID as proof of age, the Wallet app will only tell the identification party "the user is an adult", but will not disclose the specific age information of the user.