Overview
- Apple Wallet IDs are live for Illinois residents on iPhone and Apple Watch, with verification handled by the Secretary of State after users scan their physical card and complete a selfie and head-movement check.
- The TSA says more than 250 domestic security checkpoints, including those at O’Hare, Midway and St. Louis Lambert, can accept Illinois mobile IDs for screening.
- State law keeps printed IDs mandatory, drivers must carry physical cards, and acceptance by businesses and law enforcement remains optional.
- Credentials are stored encrypted on the device, businesses can verify limited details like age via a state app without seeing full data, and users are not required to hand phones to police; Apple says neither it nor the state can track ID use.
- Illinois released a free Mobile ID Verifier app for businesses, and officials say support for Google Wallet and Samsung Wallet is coming to Android devices in the months ahead; some reports note TSA use requires an iPhone 8 or newer with iOS 16.5 or later.