iPhone Driver's License Feature in Apple Wallet App Now Live in Illinois

Cue the I'm not handing my unlocked phone to the police!! folks who don't understand how this works before commenting about it...

[Second edit - reading between the lines and some very very small text at the end of the IL SOS website announcement, at this point this is for ID purposes only. Still need to carry your physical D/L with you when driving. Suspect at some point down the road it will become valid as a driver's license, but not yet, likely some sort of phased implementation at play here.]


OK, for people who don't know how this works:
[LIST=1]
* Just like Apple Pay, double-click the side button
* Select your license
* Hold it up to the reader (store, bar, TSA, cop, etc)
* See what info will be transmitted
* Approve transfer or not

Phone is never unlocked or leaves your hand. Never give or unlock your phone to anyone.

Having said this, unless there are a lot of cops with iPhones or other devices that can read the iPhone's transmission, you'll still be better off carrying your physical ID with you. But having this in case you forget your wallet at home will be nice as well.

(Edited to add this: I'm actually not sure how driving in a state that doesn't handle these electronic IDs works. So, if you travel outside of Illinois and don't have your physical license with you and the cop that stops you doesn't have a reader, what happens? I know they'll verify you in the long run but I wonder if there's a possibility they'll try to slap a "driving without physical license" citation on you. I don't know how far home rule extends here)

Also note the data that gets transferred depends on who is asking; bars/stores selling alcohol for example only get confirmation that you're legal age, that's it. So in these cases you're actually cutting down on your information getting out in the wild. No address, DOB, etc.

Outside of places that need to see your ID, there a lots of places that want to see your ID, for example doctor's offices. Here I decline letting them scan it and store it, which many times they want to do. They'll put up a minor fuss, but I've never been turned down after I've explained I've had my ID and personal information stolen.

Now, if Apple could make a provider-side app for that, I'd be happy to provide that level of verification.

I live in Illinois and it’s not appearing as an option for me yet.

I live in Illinois and it’s not appearing as an option for me yet.

Same here. I’ll check later.

Your information is in a database somewhere. People forget this! You can't hide from the government as much as we like/want want!

I'm not trying to hide from the government, but I'm not offering them my personal devices and information.

Wife is a criminal defense attorney..I've seen examples of how much investigators can glean from even locked devices.

What a JOKE!!! My state sucks as it always has when it comes to GOVT and tech !

I mean... why are we complaining about advanced security measures that are in place? I had to wait for a code to come via USPS to move my mail from my old address to my new one. Same thing applies here. We're talking about our identity. I appreciate all the extra steps I need to jump through to ensure my information stays as safe as possible.

In the meantime, I have my physical Drivers License.