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Illinois Launches Mobile Driver’s Licenses in Apple Wallet Today

The rollout prioritizes privacy through encrypted, biometric checks with only required details shared per interaction.

Overview

  • Residents can add a driver’s license or state ID on iPhone and Apple Watch by scanning the physical card, taking a selfie, and completing head‑movement prompts, after which the state verifies the submission.
  • The mobile IDs are accepted at O’Hare, Midway, and Lambert airports and at roughly 250 TSA checkpoints nationwide, with use also available at participating businesses and online.
  • Illinois’ Secretary of State is releasing a free Mobile ID Verifier app so businesses can confirm age or identity without seeing full personal details.
  • The launch begins on Apple devices, with Google and Samsung wallet compatibility expected in the coming months, making Illinois the largest state to broadly offer Wallet-based IDs.
  • Physical cards remain required for driving and some legal situations, and Illinois law bars police from searching a phone after viewing a mobile ID.