DAVENPORT, Iowa — Iowans can now securely add their driver's license or ID to Apple Wallet, the Iowa Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.
Apple Watch and iPhone users can present their identification at select TSA checkpoints. The Iowa DOT said businesses and organizations will be able to accept the forms of ID for age verification using iOS apps like Tap2iD Mobile, VeriScan and Mobile ID Verify.
To add a license or ID to Apple Wallet tap the Add (+) button on your device, select "Driver’s License or State ID" and follow the onscreen instructions.
Once an ID has been added to Apple Wallet, a user's information is encrypted onto their device and others cannot access it unless the user chooses to. Apple and the Iowa DOT won't have information about when or to whom the ID has been presented.
"The Iowa Department of Transportation receives only the information it needs to approve or deny the request," a news release said.
Doug Jacobson, who is the director of the Center for Cybersecurity Innovation & Outreach at Iowa State University, said he believes the new feature may be more secure than a physical wallet.
"You lose your wallet, you'll lose your ID. You lose your phone, then somebody likely cannot get into it," he said.
Jacobson said although it might be convenient, he warns it's important to still travel with a plastic I.D.
“You cannot count on it working everywhere you go," he added.
The Iowa State Patrol reported you will need a physical driver's license if you get pulled over. Only two airports in Iowa, Des Moines International Airport and Eastern Iowa Airport, allow the new technology as a form of identification.