The Illinois Secretary of State‘s office is working to bring IDs in Apple Wallet to Illinois residents in the future with the goal of launching by the end of the year, Secretary Alexi Giannoulias announced today.
This capability will enable residents to seamlessly and securely add and present their driver’s licenses and state IDs in person and in apps using their iPhone or Apple Watch. The news follows legislation that took effect at the beginning of the year, which enabled the Secretary of State’s office to begin this work. The plan includes robust testing requirements to ensure the office delivers the most secure and private product for Illinois residents, Giannoulias said.
“We’re excited to have kickstarted our work with Apple – a company that shares our commitment to data security – to provide IDs in Apple Wallet that will offer convenience and privacy for Illinoisans,” said Giannoulias, whose office pushed for the legislation enabling the development of mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs in Illinois. “This is the first component of a multi-faceted approach to deliver a state-of-the-art mobile driver’s license and state ID program that leverages best-in-class technology for residents.”
Once the program launches, driver’s licenses and state IDs in Wallet will provide an easy and more secure way for Illinoisans to present their identification. Users will have the ability to add their driver’s license or state ID to Wallet and simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to present it in person, without taking out their physical card or handing over their device.
The office has set up a sign-up page for Illinoisans to receive updates about the mobile driver’s license and state ID program and when IDs in Apple Wallet will become available for users.
Anyone interested can visit www.ilsos.gov/mDL to sign up.
Mobile driver’s licenses and state IDs will not be mandatory and will serve as a companion – rather than a replacement – to a physical card.
Presenting an ID in Apple Wallet will allow for more security and privacy than presenting a physical card. Using Apple Wallet, only the information needed for the transaction is presented, and the user has the opportunity to review and authorize the information being requested with Face ID or Touch ID before it is shared. This means that a mobile driver’s license or ID holder can provide proof of their age when legally purchasing alcohol or renting a car, without sharing other personal information – like their address.
Illinois joins ten states and territories that have adopted IDs in Apple Wallet, including Arizona, Colorado, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio and Puerto Rico.
Giannoulias also expects to bring mobile driver’s licenses and IDs to additional digital wallets, such as Google Wallet for Android users, in the future.
HB 4592, which enabled the Secretary of State’s office to begin the process of developing mobile IDs in Illinois, was sponsored by State Representative Kam Buckner (26th District – Chicago) and State Senator Michael Hastings (19th District – Frankfort). The bill is part of Giannoulias’ commitment to modernizing the office, while getting up to speed with other states that already have secure mobile driver’s license and state ID programs in place.
I refuse to use Face ID and Touch (fingerprint) ID. Unlike a password, you can’t change your own biometrics after a hack.
- Roadrager - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 11:36 am:
Don’t voluntarily hand your phone over to a cop. Ever.
- Alton Sinkhole - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 11:36 am:
Absolutely love this idea, 100% on board - and would be exciting to get it done by end of 2025.
- @misterjayem - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 11:38 am:
“Anyway, your thoughts?”
Not legal advice: Handing your phone to police is a bad idea.
– MrJM
- James - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 11:48 am:
Everyone has different levels of comfort with digital forms of various things. This is one that I will not be participating in. I get locked out of my phone from my own stupidity at least once every few years. I drop my phone in puddles and on and on. Of course I have lost my wallet a time or two, but I just don’t wanna have all my eggs in the “phone basket”
- Joe Bidenopolous - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 11:57 am:
Yeah, I’m with MrJM. I’m never handing my unlocked phone to a cop
- thechampaignlife - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:00 pm:
===Handing your phone to police is a bad idea.===
This needs to work by locking the device so that only the ID can be seen. Without that, my device has access to far too much sensitive corporate data to ever let out of my control unlocked.
- TJ - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:05 pm:
Yeah, this makes a lot of sense in a vacuum. But in reality, absolutely under no circumstance will I ever voluntarily hand my phone over to a law enforcement official. Even if locked. Nor would I ever consent to a law enforcement official somehow taking a scan of my screen if that’s deemed a workaround.
- Peanut Gallery - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:08 pm:
To echo comments above, also would not give a cop an unlocked phone if pulled over. But, I could see this being useful trying to buy a beer or cold medication at the store.
- allknowingmasterofraccoondom - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:11 pm:
I don’t see a requirement to hand over the phone to a cop - which I would never do.
I think…it would be set up where I could “share”, “beam”, whatever you want to the cops device with some sort of software. I would be totally interested into looking into this program.
- Roadrager - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:14 pm:
==I think…it would be set up where I could “share”, “beam”, whatever you want to the cops device with some sort of software.==
Workable if it were not for the fact that many officers seem incapable of incorporating technology into their work when it is most convenient for them. See also “Gosh darn it, I just can’t get this body cam to turn on for the life of me.”
- Truthiness - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:25 pm:
Are they going to require all retailers/bars/healthcare accept this type of ID? I envision a lot of people yelling at the poor cashier because they don’t want to bring a physical id.
- Unionman - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:28 pm:
1. All those objecting to giving your phone to police. There is express language in the bill barring police from accessing anything else on the phone.
2. Why are they going with Apple first? There are far more Android users than Apple users.
3. They should be developing their own app.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:30 pm:
===There is express language in the bill barring police from accessing anything else on the phone.===
Lots of laws on the books that people don’t follow.
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:35 pm:
=Once the program launches=
The bill was signed into law on 8/9/24 - Alexi’s team should have been working on this so it was ready to go on Jan 1, 2025.
- Mythoughts - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:36 pm:
You will still be required to have a physical drivers license with you to hand over to the police instead of your phone.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 12:48 pm:
Gianoulias shouldn’t be implementing any electronic ID program unless it’s available to anyone with a phone, regardless of operating system. The “Android at a later date” thing is garbage policy.
- ChicagoVinny - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 1:29 pm:
Put me in the “don’t give a cop your unlocked phone” camp.
- Cool Papa Bell - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 1:32 pm:
=This means that a mobile driver’s license or ID holder can provide proof of their age when legally purchasing alcohol or renting a car, without sharing other personal information – like their address.=
I’ve never given much thought to someone being able to see my address. But that could be something others would really want to keep private.
I could envision using something like this IF its the way that TSA or an airline scans your boarding pass. Let someone scan my QR code for a legal ID name age only or for more information than that. And then be done with it.
This seems like something I won’t be rushing to do.
- Occasionally Moderated - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 1:35 pm:
This is an absolutely terrible idea.
Most of the comments focus on police abuse. Fair enough.
I look at it from the other side, as an active police officer.
I don’t want to handle your phone. I don’t want to look at your insurance card on your phone, I don’t want to examine a rental agreement on it. I sure as heck don’t want to see your drivers license on it.
Seeing a drivers license isn’t what I need. I need your last name, first name, middle initial and date of birth and I need to put that info into a computer that is in my car. How would Alexi and the public like me to do that?
Next: When you or your loved one is incapacitated or deceased in a wrecked car how do I find out who you are? How do I notify the parent that your child needs you? How do I get someone who loves this person to the hospital? That doesn’t happen by magic or an imaginary facial recognition program like on tv. It happens because a cop rummages through purses and wallets in wrecked cars to find a drivers license or i.d. With a picture to figure out who it is.
This is Alexi grandstanding an idea with unintended consequences.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 1:37 pm:
=== how do I find out who you are?===
People will still be required to possess their physical license.
- Edge - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 1:37 pm:
Wow, so many untrusting individuals. I can’t wait to begin to use the digital state. Yippie.
- Occasionally Moderated - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 1:43 pm:
Rich, people won’t carry it. It’s required now and they don’t do it.
This will make it worse.
They won’t know the requirement or they will think “I’ve got it on my phone if I need it.”
They don’t think about being incapacitated.
- DuPage Saint - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 1:46 pm:
Well if this gets rolled out as fast as the Real ID I won’t have to worry about it
- Nope. - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 3:20 pm:
“Handing your phone to police is a bad idea.”
Yep. But so is giving it to weed dealers, yet we’re all good with that.
- Pundent - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 4:14 pm:
=This is Alexi grandstanding an idea with unintended consequences.=
As the post points out, this is being done today in a growing number of states. There are many times that a license is required for identification that don’t involve police interactions. Think TSA, rental counters, building access, etc. I’m largely indifferent as to whether it’s a good thing or not. But in an increasingly digital world I could see why some would want it.
- harp5339 - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 4:47 pm:
FYI you don’t need to unlock your phone to use Apple Wallet.
- Leslie K - Monday, Jan 13, 25 @ 8:46 pm:
===People will still be required to possess their physical license.===
Rich, to quote you: Lots of laws on the books that people don’t follow.
And I would add: even if it might benefit them at some point (that they aren’t thinking about).
I don’t have an answer regarding how to educate people that they should still have their physical license on them in the event that they can’t “tap” to give the required info (traffic stop) or critically important info (incapacitated) in various situations. But it does seem to me that Alexi is trying to tout this as a voluntary substitute for a physical license, which it isn’t and probably (I would say definitely) shouldn’t be.