Digital IDs in Wallet
The second big piece of the wallet-replacement puzzle that Apple is working on is replacing the need to carry physical ID cards, however that’s understandably going to be a tougher nut to crack from a regulatory point of view.
So it’s not all that surprising that digital IDs are listed as being “available late 2021.” Apple has said it’s working with several U.S. state governments to enable this feature, but there are still likely a few technical and security hurdles to overcome before it’s fully ready to go live.
Similarly, the TSA is also expected to allow the use of Apple Wallet stored digital IDs directly at security checkpoints, but this will almost certainly require upgrades to the TSA’s systems, and it may be a while before it’s rolled out to every U.S. airport.
It’s safe to say that the new “ID in Wallet” feature will be a fairly gradual rollout, likely facing an even slower adoption than Apple Pay did when it first launched in the U.S. six years ago. However, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and we’re encouraged that Apple is taking that first step into a fully digital world.