| Cult of Mac

When will your state let you add your ID to Apple Wallet?

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Georgia becomes latest state to support driver’s license in Apple Wallet
Four states, most recently Georgia, are fully on board.
Image: Georgia Department of Driver Services

When will you be able to add your driver’s license or state ID to Apple Wallet on your iPhone? In the United States, it varies by where you live. It’s not up to Apple: Each state and territory maintains a completely independent registry of drivers and identification cards, so each one must independently pass legislation and implement digital IDs.

If you live in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia or Maryland, you can do it today. (Our guide will show you how to add your driver’s license to Apple Wallet.) Otherwise, check our map and lists below to see how likely your state is to let you add your ID to Apple Wallet, and when it might happen.

How to add your driver’s license to Apple Wallet

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How to add your driver’s license to Apple Wallet
Some states allow iPhone users to put their driver's license on their iPhone. Here's how.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

In several U.S. states, Apple’s digital ID initiative enables iPhones and Apple Watch to hold a digital copy of the user’s driver’s license, in the same way these devices store credit cards and airline tickets.

Here’s what you need to know to add your driver’s license and ID to the Wallet app.

Use iPhone as house key with new Level smart lock

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The Level Lock+ is available at some Apple Store locations.
The Level Lock+ is available at some Apple Store locations.
Photo: @James_dombro, twitter.com

Some Apple Store locations began stocking the exclusive new Level Lock+ last week, letting users open their door locks with their iPhone or Apple Watch via digital keys. And now you can get it online, too.

The functionality takes advantage of the change in iOS 15 last year adding support for home keys in Wallet. It uses NFC radio technology to let an iPhone or Apple Watch near the lock open it.

Class-action lawsuit claims Apple Pay blocks competition

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The lawsuit alleges that Apple Pay blocks the competition from tap-to-pay.
The lawsuit alleges that Apple Pay blocks the competition from tap-to-pay.
Photo: Apple

Apple violates U.S. antitrust law by making sure Apple Pay is the only e-wallet way to tap to pay via an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, a new class-action lawsuit filed Monday alleges.

The complaint says Apple profits illegally to the tune of $1 billion a year or more by blocking competitors like Google Pay and Samsung Pay from offering tap-to-pay transactions on Apple devices.

EU may soon force Apple to open iPhone NFC to other payment services

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Apple Pay heads south of the border, down Mexico way
iPhone users might soon be able to use tap-to-pay with non-Apple payment systems. In the EU, anyway.
Photo: Apple

The European Union reportedly plans to accuse Apple of violating the law by limiting access to the iPhone’s NFC capabilities to the company’s own payment system. The goal is to give rival systems like PayPal access to the iPhone’s convenient tap-to-pay function.

Apple claims the limitation is there to protect users’ financial information. The EU calls it anticompetitive.

Did Apple accidentally give us a sneak peek at iOS 16?

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Did Apple accidentally give us a sneak peek at iOS 16? What the heck is that weird menu in the Apple Wallet app screenshot?
What the heck is that?
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Look closely and you’ll see something odd in an image Apple used to publicize the iPhone’s new digital driver’s licenses. In the upper corner of the Wallet app, where there should be a back arrow, instead there’s what looks like a fancy version of a “hamburger” menu button.

It’s possible the image was taken off a device running a prerelease version of iOS 16, and includes a change coming in the next iPhone operating system.

Or it might be only a glitch, and we’re trying too hard to see what Apple has planned.

Apple Wallet’s digital driver’s licenses and IDs go live in Arizona

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Apple Wallet digital IDs
A whole bunch of other states will also add support.
Image: Apple

Apple on Wednesday confirmed that digital driver’s licenses and IDs are now available inside the Wallet app in Arizona. Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and the territory of Puerto Rico have also pledged their support.

Cupertino first announced its latest Wallet upgrade at WWDC 2021 last June. This is the first time it has been made available to iPhone users.

Apple’s new Tap to Pay feature lets iPhone accept contactless payments

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iPhone Tap to Pay
It will be available only in the U.S. initially.
Photo: Apple

Apple will give iPhone the ability to accept contactless payments without additional hardware later this year, the company confirmed Tuesday.

The feature, which Apple calls “Tap to Pay,” initially will be available to merchants in the United States who use a “partner-enabled iOS app.” The company says Tap to Pay will “empower millions” to use their iPhones to seamlessly accept payments.