Apple delays the ability to store ID cards in Apple Wallet to early 2022
- Digital ID will allow users to store their ID cards within the Apple Wallet app.
- The feature is now reportedly delayed until at least early 2022.
As spotted by MacRumors, Apple has again delayed its upcoming feature that will allow users in the U.S. to store ID cards and driver’s licenses within the Apple Wallet app. The feature was announced with iOS 15 at WWDC this summer and was originally promised to be released in late 2021. Now, according to Apple’s website, the feature will launch in early 2022.
Announced by Apple Pay VP Jennifer Bailey at WWDC21, the feature will make it possible for you to carry your ID card on your iPhone or Apple Watch and therefore be “fully free of your physical wallet.” Apple is also said to be working with TSA checkpoints at airports in the U.S. to enable them as the first places you can use your digital ID.
In September, a press release stated that the first U.S. states to use the feature would be Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah. Now, it seems, the feature will not launch anywhere until at least early next year.
The delay is not very surprising, considering iOS 15.2 is currently in beta and does not enable the feature. With iOS 15.2 likely to launch around the end of the year, it only makes sense that this feature will have to wait until the next iOS update in the new year.
Also, as we saw with Apple’s rollout of its COVID-19 Exposure Notification system, features take longer to roll out when Apple is working with individual state governments within the U.S. rather than the country as a whole.
Recommended by the editors:
Thank you for visiting Apple Scoop! As a dedicated independent news organization, we strive to deliver the latest updates and in-depth journalism on everything Apple. Have insights or thoughts to share? Drop a comment below—our team actively engages with and responds to our community.23rd November, 2021 at 11:09 am by Divi
No password required
A confirmation request will be delivered to the email address you provide. Once confirmed, your comment will be published. It's as simple as two clicks.
Your email address will not be published publicly. Additionally, we will not send you marketing emails unless you opt-in.