Apple rolls out digital ID in Wallet

Apple has taken a significant step into the digital identity ecosystem with the launch of Digital ID, a passport-based credential that can be created and stored directly in Apple Wallet.

The feature, debuting in beta at more than 250 Transportation Security Administration checkpoints across the US, extends Apple’s push to make the iPhone and Apple Watch central to both payments and identity verification.

Apple Digital ID

Digital ID builds on the groundwork laid in 2022, when Apple first enabled users to upload state-issued driver’s licences and ID cards.

The new capability offers a route into secure digital identification for millions of Americans who lack a REAL ID-compliant licence but hold a valid US passport.

While the credential cannot replace a physical passport for international travel or border crossings, it is designed to streamline domestic airport security checks and, in time, unlock verification use cases with businesses and apps.

Creating a Digital ID

Creating a Digital ID is intentionally stringent.

Users scan the photo page of their passport, read the embedded chip using their iPhone’s NFC capabilities and then complete a selfie and facial-movement verification.

The data is encrypted and stored on the device itself, ensuring that Apple cannot track when or where an ID is used. Authentication through Face ID or Touch ID prevents anyone other than the device owner from presenting the credential.

Apple emphasises that users retain full control over what is shared, reviewing each data request before authorising it.

This selective disclosure is a hallmark of the company’s privacy-first approach — and a sharp contrast to many legacy identity systems, where consumers often over-share information because systems cannot parse more precise data fields.

A Universal Digital Credential

The strategic direction is clear. With Wallet now supporting payments, transit passes, keys, tickets and government-issued IDs, Apple is steadily positioning the iPhone as a universal digital credential.

The company says it will expand Digital ID acceptance to selected businesses for identity and age verification, creating new opportunities for frictionless onboarding, regulated commerce and secure payments.

Industry voices see the launch as part of a broader convergence between finance and identity.

As Entersekt’s CTO noted recently, digital identity — particularly when tied to strong device-based authentication — is set to reshape financial services.

Banks and payment providers are already re-assessing how identity data flows through their systems, recognising that secure verification is increasingly intertwined with compliant payments.

Adoption of Apple Wallet continues to climb, though significant headroom remains: recent research shows that around 16% of consumers used Apple Pay in-store in the previous week.

Digital ID may accelerate that trajectory by quietly making the iPhone even more indispensable at the point where identity and payments meet.