Ohio adds Apple Wallet support for mobile IDs
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Wednesday that residents can now add their driver’s licenses or state-issued identification cards to Apple Wallet.
According to a press release, IDs added to Apple Wallet can be used at some businesses and apps, and at Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints, including John Glenn Columbus International Airport and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The state on Wednesday also announced a free app, called Ohio Mobile ID Check, that allows businesses to verify the IDs of customers using Apple Wallet.
“These modernizations and added conveniences have saved Ohioans over 7 million trips to BMV locations and more than 641,000 hours of standing in line,” Charlie Norman, registrar of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, said in a press release.
At least eleven other states offer mobile driver’s licenses, but only four — Arizona, Colorado, Georgia and Maryland — support Apple Wallet, according to the software company IDScan.
“Ohio has always been a leader in innovation, and now we are the fifth state in the country that gives residents the option to securely add their driver’s license to Apple Wallet,” DeWine said in the press release. “This is another example of how Ohio is using technology to better serve its customers and residents.”
For those concerned about privacy, Ohio’s announcement points to Apple’s claims that user ID information stored in Apple Wallet is encrypted. The state claims that neither Apple nor the state issuing authority can view when users display their ID using Apple Wallet and that the iPhone maker doesn’t track that data.
