Passports Make Apple Wallet even more Accessible
Following yesterday’s news of the iPhone Pocket, Apple on Wednesday announced United States passports can now be added to Apple Wallet as part of the app’s “Digital ID” feature, currently launching in beta. The announcement comes months after the company previously said would be coming “later this year” during WWDC back in June.
According to Apple, Digital ID is “a secure and private way for users to create an ID in Apple Wallet using information from their U.S. passport, and present their ID with iPhone or Apple Watch.” Apple has posted a video showing how to add IDs to Wallet.
“Apple today announced the launch of Digital ID, a new way for users to create an ID in Apple Wallet using information from their U.S. passport, and present it with the security and privacy of iPhone or Apple Watch,” the company wrote. “At launch, Digital ID acceptance will roll out first in beta at TSA checkpoints at more than 250 airports in the U.S. for in-person identity verification during domestic travel, with additional Digital ID acceptance use cases to come in the future. Digital ID gives more people a way to create and present an ID in Apple Wallet even if they do not have a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID. Digital ID is not a replacement for a physical passport, and cannot be used for international travel and border crossing in lieu of a U.S. passport.”
As Apple notes, a double-press of the Side Button on an iPhone (or Apple Watch) will give users access to Apple Wallet and their digitized IDs, which someone then can present to TSA at the security checkpoint. Personally, I got my first-ever passport a couple of years ago, and have used it once to visit Vancouver, BC in 2023. Apple’s Jennifer Bailey, who leads Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, said in a statement for the press release the company has noticed how much customers “love having their ID right on their devices” for convenience and privacy, but as I’ve argued innumerable times over the years, digital IDs are a huge win for accessibility too. Although I do carry my physical wallet, including my passport, when I travel, that I now can add the latter to Apple Wallet on my phone means it’s more accessible once I get to security. Traversing airports as a disabled person isn’t fun most times, and while having TSA Pre-Check helps a ton, my already sky-high anxiety shoots into the stratosphere when I have to fly somewhere because of the rigamarole and relative inaccessibility of air travel. If I again travel internationally, I can take solace in the fact I needn’t have to worry about forgetting my tactile passport because I have a legally valid facsimile on my phone. What’s more, I needn’t have to dig through my bag and physical wallet to get to it—which is a bear in terms of vision and hand-eye coordination. I can use my iPhone or Apple Watch instead.
