Apple Wallet Can Now Hold Your US Passport for Domestic Travel
iPhone users can store REAL ID-compliant passports digitally. Learn what’s allowed, what’s restricted, and how to protect your digital ID.
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Apple is getting ready to allow iPhone users to store digital versions of their U.S. passports in the Wallet app, Jennifer Bailey, Apple's vice president of Apple Pay and Wallet, revealed on Sunday. The change is intended to make Wallet less like just a payment option and more like a place where iPhone users can keep their identification in digital form.
The digital passport will be accepted under the REAL ID provisions to an extent, thus allowing it to be used by travelers for domestic flights in the U.S. and even in territories like Puerto Rico. Nonetheless, those who want to travel abroad will still have to carry their physical passports, as these will not be replaced for international flights and border crossings into Canada or Mexico.
Apple Wallet is already allowing digital driver's licenses in a few states at the present time. Bailey hinted that the business is not simply going to stop there but intends to extend Wallet's scope of usage to cover concert tickets, student identification cards, and even digital access cars and houses.
To access the service, iPhone users will enter the details of their actual passports into the Wallet app, resulting in a highly secure digital ID. Furthermore, the digital ID on an iPhone or an Apple Watch can actually substitute what has been a physical passport requirement for domestic air travel if the passenger is at a TSA checkpoint that participates in this process.
While digital ID wallets are a source of convenience, at the same time, they are also a risk. The Identity Management Institute warns users of identity theft, data breaches, and privacy lapses. This risk, though, is a bit less if one loses a device that does not possess sensitive and personal information.
There are different tips that experts recommend for digital ID users:
Compose robust as well as peculiar passwords or PINs.
Use two-factor authentication.
Periodically check if gadgets and applications are up-to-date.
Double-check that online transactions are done through secure and authentic platforms.
