In 2015, a state-issued iPhone app could be your ticket to drive

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driver-ID-iPhone

Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

The wallet-free future Apple promised with the iPhone 6 might finally be upon us in 2015, but only if you live in Iowa.

The state’s Department of Transportation says it will be the first state to ever allow citizens to use an official state app that will serve as a drivers license and ID. Iowa’s mobile app will reportedly contain all the same information found on the plastic license in your wallet, plus they’re adding a scannable bar code that links to DOT databases so all your info is up-to-date.

The logistics on how the digital ID app will work haven’t really been worked out yet, but state officials say the digital ID won’t be required. It will be an option for Iowans who want to supplement their physical ID cards.

Iowa already allows drivers to carry digital proof of insurance, so the official ID app will allow you to cruise the American Heartland paper free. Once the app is built and released in 2015, it will serve as an “identity vault” and use a PIN for security, but we really hope their developers integrate Touch ID.

There are concerns about what happens when you lose your iPhone, or if it gets stolen, but that shouldn’t be any worse than having banking apps on your stolen iPhone. However, state officials still aren’t sure how many people will want to use it, or if we’ll feel comfortable handing a cop our iPhone that contains precious personal data.

A public launch date for the app hasn’t been set yet. Beta testing with government employees is expected to begin in 2015, but officials admit it could be late next year or 2016 before your plastic license is truly dead.

Source: Des Moines Register

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